PLDT-Smart Foundation (PSF), the social outreach arm of PLDT and Smart, signified its commitment to strengthen the linkage between technology and education in the Philippines with "RISE to the FUTURE: Synergizing Education and Industry Innovation”.
Speaking before key leaders and stakeholders from the industry and the academe, PLDT and Smart Chairman Manuel V Pangilinan underscored the Group’s support to the key digitalization efforts of the national government in the field of education.
“May we usher in an era of deeper collaboration, mutual listening, and more focused education, which can truly equip our youth with the skills, the mindset, and the courage with which to innovate and change the country for the better,” said Pangilinan in his special message during the event, which was held as one of the highlights of the Philippine Digital Convention 2023 (PH Digicon 2023) organized by PLDT Enterprise.
The PLDT Group has long been a staunch advocate of industry-academe linkage, through the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), now on its 20th year. To further the cause, PSF, in collaboration with the PLDT and Smart People Group and Philippine colleges and universities, will continue to promote inclusive learning and industry-academe partnerships, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.
“Businesses rely on the academe not only for the quantity of graduates every year, but their quality as well. We must always remember that quality decisions particularly in business are after all made by quality people,” Pangilinan added.
This partnership will also strengthen industry-academe linkage between schools and employers through curriculum alignment, technical immersions, scholarships for underprivileged yet qualified students, internships, and other necessary support for engineering, information technology, data science, and other relevant courses.
To further its advocacy on education, PSF has also launched the Rise program in the Philippines. Rise, an initiative of Schmidt Futures and the Rhodes Trust, is a program that gathers aspiring youth and extends opportunities that enable them to work together to become of service to others.
“Today, we aim even higher, as we launch new partnerships to bring more opportunities to our youth. We thank our partners in PLDT, our People Group and PLDT Enterprise, as well as our company leaders who are one with us in this shared goal,” said Esther Santos, President of PSF.
The Group is also working closely with the national government through the Digital Infrastructure pillar of the Private Sector Advisory Council or PSAC to connect, digitize, and empower Filipinos and drive the country's economic ambitions. This is also aligned with the UNSDG #4: Quality Education.