PLDT, throught its business unit PLDT SME Nation together with Microsoft Philippines, launched their new service package last August 26, 2015 at Makati Shangri-la, that was said to change the way technology affects education and learning, in the most positive way.
Digital Campus Suite
The Digital Campus Suite is basically a new service package for schools which will allow its students to access learning programs and even earn IT certifications online from their own libraries and/or classrooms. The suite inclueds laptops, tablets and WiFi access points in the campus for student use, allowing them to access details on their curriculum online. The curriculum is digital and the schools will receive licenses to Microsoft Office 365; it will enable students and teachers to interact using Cloud tools and platforms.This will not only make it possible for teachers and professors to give and receive learning materials from home (when sick or away) it will also let students acquire critical IT skills through the Microsoft IT Academy Program.
The Mission and Vision
PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan thoughtfully said, “We at PLDT are confident that this partnership can significantly contribute to enriching the digital content of Philippine education. By enabling schools through these programs, we are helping them, both educator and student, to gain new critical skill and learn IT courses with globally competitive technology programs that have become essential in today’s digital work place.”
Why IT (Information Technology)?
International Data Corporation (IDC) conducted a study that revealed there’s an increase in the demand of IT professionals worldwide, with around 14 million new jobs up for grabs. However there’s a widening in the gap of ICT professional skill and shortage of skills in the Asia Pacific Region, with Philippines smack in the middle.
PLDT SME has been actively building connectivity resources and improving their technology to support the education sector’s need for improved ICT learning. The goal is to empower future generations with today’s necessary IT skills through ICT-enabled education systems. In today’s business and entrepreneurial turn, IT skills are no longer just additional value for finding employment but have become necessary in getting one.
As Karrie Ilagan, General Manager of Microsoft Philippines, stated, “An education population is what we need to build a progressive economy, but we can’t educate tomorrow’s leaders with tools from the past. The increasingly competitive workplace is being driven by technology and digital literacy, and the Digital Campus Suite gives educators and students access to tools that will build their capability o excel in that environment. We always strive to effect a positive change in the lives of our customers, and our partnership with PLDT SME Nation helps us create a bigger impact on all aspects of education.”
This partnership truly has brought up something new, with quite an impact on modern education, and undoubtedly has brought education in the Philippines to a whole new level.
