Partnerships between government and the private sector, as well as initiatives to pave the way for more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) graduates are key to realizing the country's digitalization goals.
PLDT Group President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio, who is also a founding member of the Private Sector Advisory Council's (PSAC) Digital Infrastructure pillar, underscored the importance of having government collaborations and policies in place to further speed up the country's digital pivot. "There are more opportunities to dialogue with government today, aligned with the President’s push for digitalization to empower every Filipino," Panlilio said during a panel discussion at the recent Pilipinas Conference 2022 organized by Stratbase Albert Del Rosario Institute.
“These dialogues help because technologies change rapidly, requiring regulators to put in place new policies to enhance our economy," Panlilio added. He also reiterated PLDT's commitment to invest in improving the country's digital infrastructure, with network-related initiatives making up the bulk of the Group's ₱518.5 billion capex for the last 10 years up to 2021.
Jobs of the future
In addition to network investments, Panlilio highlighted the importance of investing in a pipeline of professionals that would power the country's digitalization aspirations, citing similar sentiments from other tech giants in the region.
"Our challenge is the pipeline of talent in ICT. Other countries put a premium on STEM, while there is currently a big gap in our local curriculum. We look forward to working with the Government so we can execute more STEM-like curriculums, to push out more IT experts and upskill more people toward jobs of the future," he said.
PLDT Group’s efforts to promote STEM education in the country began in 2003, by partnering with universities to produce industry-ready graduates under the Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP). Recognized as the first and longest-running industry-academe linkage in the Philippines, SWEEP is implemented through the PLDT and Smart Technology Innovation Center (TechnoLab).
SWEEP aims to contribute to the academic and professional journey of its partner institutions in the form of equipment, technical trainings, innovation platforms, immersive experiences, and extension services among its network of 27 colleges and universities all over the country.
More than 15,000 teachers have also been trained on the Central Visayan Institute Foundation Dynamic Learning Program (CVIF-DLP) since PLDT and Smart started to support it in 2010. The disaster-resilient, innovative teaching strategy has produced students whose competence in STEM disciplines are comparable to global standards.
The brainchild of Filipino Theoretical Physicists and Ramon Magsaysay laureates Dr. Christopher Bernido and the late Dr. Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido, the DepEd-backed program has been proven to improve academic performance in class and on national scholastic aptitude tests, with higher entrance exam success rates in premier universities nationwide and abroad.
Overall thrust to lead PH digital transformation
SWEEP and CVIF-DLP are among PLDT and Smart’s initiatives that support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) #4: Quality Education. These also augment the Group’s overall thrust to lead the country's digital transformation, underpinned by PLDT and Smart’s integrated network infrastructure.
