THE PHILIPPINE Business for Education entered into a partnership with VST ECS to help youth succeed in their future digital careers by providing essential tools and free skills training through the Future Skills Now program.

VST ECS, one of the country’s leading information and communications technology distributors, has committed to offering their laptops and facilities to qualified K to 12 graduates and college students from Brgy. Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City.

With VST ECS’ support, trainees can participate in the 10-day call center training facilitated by Leyte Communications Training Center, a telecommunications company providing communication skills training for those seeking employment in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report states that communication is the most in-demand skill in the workplace across all countries in the Asia Pacific especially in the Philippines, Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Singapore regions.

“Communication is an indispensable skill set that remains a crucial asset in the future of work. This, along with creative thinking, tech literacy, and lifelong learning are essential skills that will allow our young people to thrive in any industry,” PBEd Executive Director Justine Raagas said.

The Program for International Student Assessment recently reported that Filipino students were second-lowest among 64 countries in the creative thinking assessment of 15-year-old students.

PISA defines creative thinking as the ability to generate diverse and creative ideas, and the ability to evaluate ideas and identify improvements to those ideas.

“The recent PISA report is a wake-up call for us to also pay attention to fostering the creative skills of our youth as these form part of the basic skills that can help them thrive in the workplace,” Raagas said.

Among the training interventions in PBEd’s FSN program is life skills training, which has modules on creative problem-solving, presentation, and interpersonal relations in the workplace. This is coupled with technical skills training for digital jobs, such as data visualization and working with generative artificial intelligence. Following their training, trainees engage in a one-month internship to apply their acquired skills and actively contribute to ongoing projects and responsibilities within the company.

Since October 2023, FSN has successfully trained around 80 youth ages 18-28 from Pasig City, Malabon City, Mandaue City, and Cebu City.

“While there is great demand in training and upskilling our youth, fulfilling this need without the infrastructure and tools in place will hinder us from achieving meaningful progress. With the help of companies like VST ECS, we will be able to achieve our goal of upskilling our Filipino youth with digital skills for the jobs of tomorrow,” Raagas said.

“VST ECS is thrilled to join forces with PBEd to equip underprivileged youth with the essential digital skills needed to thrive in today’s globalized job market,” said Jimmy Go, President and CEO of VST ECS.