MAKATI-based school iACADEMY partnered with organizations which wish to curb the alarming rate of out of school youth.

Based on 2017 Philippine Statistics Authority data, nine percent or 3.53 million of the estimated 39.2 Filipinos aged 6 to 24 years old were considered out of school youth, with financial constraints second among the reasons they have not attended school.

“In line with our mission to facilitate academic continuity and create a pool of high-performing students by giving access to innovative education, our school has designed internally and externally funded scholarship programs. We’ve also partnered with companies who share the same vision in order to help students pursue their interests and build a fulfilling career geared towards creating a positive impact on society,” said Vanessa Tanco, president and CEO of iACADEMY.

“We hope to expand this offering and we are grateful to our generous partners who expressed their commitment and support to this initiative. It’s our hope that this initiative will help hone competent, innovative, and future-ready students who are to take on the challenges of the real-world,” said Raquel Perez-Wong, Chief Operating Officer of iACADEMY.

The externally funded scholarship programs could potentially help aspiring Game Changers inclined to take a specialized career path that iACADEMY has long been known for and has delivered 96 percent placement rate.

Since its establishment in 2002, it offered cutting-edge programs and provided diverse environments for learning that allow students to flourish through various learning opportunities.

“We worked with scholarship partners like BingoPlus, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Gokongwei Brothers Foundation who are the biggest contributors to our scholarship. Hand in hand with these organizations, we are positive that we will be able to dismantle financial constraints and give opportunities to promising students who will soon become pioneers of social change,” said Anna Fernandez, Senior Manager, Office of Student Affairs and Services.

Andy Tsui, President of Leisure & Resort World Corporation, expressed at looking forward to the outcomes of the partnership.

“We wish to inspire and make dreams come true,” he shared.

“We are truly honored to welcome iACADEMY as a new partner, and grateful to be given the opportunity to contribute to keeping students on the path towards a brighter future,” added Jasper Vicencio, President of BingoPlus and Trustee of BingoPlus Foundation Inc.

Apart from the scholarship programs, iACADEMY is known to have strong ties with over 200+ local and international industry partners with its intensive 960-hour internship program, ensuring that students are given adequate industry-relevant training before they are even sent out to the workforce.

The institution also established its Program Advisory Council where industry experts, members of the alumni association, and faculty members would discuss updates and changes on curriculum to ensure that what is taught to students are in line with the ever changing needs of the industry.