Davao school partners with Huawei to kick off 5th industrial revo

The Jose Maria College in Davao City will begin the fifth industrial revolution for the Philippines.

DAVAO CITY–To keep up with the latest innovations that technology can offer to today’s education, Jose Maria College (JMC) sealed a partnership with telecommunications giant Huawei last July 6 in an agreement to pursue the fifth industrial revolution of educational technology.

Through this partnership, students will soon be able to access the most modern educational tools such as state-of-the-art Learning Management Systems (LMS), Virtual Laboratories, Virtual Reality, Smart Campus, etc.

According to Ken Sentorias, the JMC Information and Communications Technology Office (ICTO) director, the opportunities are limitless because both JMC and Huawei are on the same page of commitment and that is to deliver the latest educational technology.

It can be noted that the Philippines is among the countries that is still in the third industrial revolution of educational technology. Students from developed countries such as Japan, China, and the United States are currently the only ones experiencing the fifth industrial revolution.

However, JMC believes that this partnership will bring the institution a step closer to realizing its goal of delivery quality education through the use of technology. “We are planning the best for the students. And next year, we are going to announce something really great,” Sentorias quoted.

STI named 'Partner of the Year' by Huawei

STI College at present has the highest number of students passing the Huawei certifications.

TRUE to its word of creating "New Value Together, Win Together," Huawei Philippines has recently recognized the significant contributions and exemplary performance of its industry and academic partners, conferring the ICT Talent Partner of the Year 2020 award to STI College, which has the highest number of students passing the Huawei certifications offered by Huawei ICT Academy.

Cultivating Filipino ICT talents at the early stage

As a tech-driven educational institution with a large network of schools in the Philippines, STI College understands the difficulties faced by students who are pursuing ICT-related courses.

Despite the increased adoption and use of digital technologies in the country, digitalization efforts in the education sector remain impacted by the broadband penetration and access to advanced technologies.

Students often fall short of meeting the industry's talent requirements, struggling to acquire up-to-date knowledge and credentials, such as virtual training and certification.

STI College took on the challenge by nurturing students to become job-ready, future-ready, and life-ready.

To achieve this, STI introduced its Enrollment to Employment System, wherein students get applicable education, job market skills, job preparedness, and job placement assistance. 

The first step is the Learning Systems Development, which ensures that the curriculum content is up-to-date and job market-oriented.

To complement this, STI implements the Academic Delivery System to guarantee that highly-qualified and certified faculty members, and state-of-the-art facilities of campuses are at par with the standardized courseware and curriculum.

STI integrates in-demand ICT technologies into its courseware materials to prepare students for their dream careers. 

The third step, Student Certification, assures that students are prepared for employment through rigid assessment, evaluation, and certificate programs.

Before the students leave the security of their four-walled classrooms, they are given the opportunity to undergo on-the-job training with  STI's reputable partner companies.

Connecting students with future employers

With its partnership with Huawei ICT Academy, STI College delivers Huawei ICT technologies training, encourages students to get Huawei certifications, and develops talents with practical skills for the ICT industry and the community.

Huawei helps STI College integrate in-demand ICT technologies into its programs to better prepare the students for future certifications.

The Academy offers more than 100 certification exams and 22 technical fields to pave clear the career development paths for STI students.

STI College has so far produced 299 students certified in five technology domains: cloud computing, Big Data, artificial intelligence, routing and switching, and storage.

Huawei ensures that its courses match the needs of the ICT industry in general and its partner enterprises in particular to guarantee employment for students.

An industry certification validates the skills and readiness of the students to join the ICT workforce.

Every certification is valid for three years, and the students' names appear on Huawei's online database as Huawei Certified ICT Associates (HCIA).

This improves students' competitiveness in the job market as well as schools' employment rate.

Regine Gila Cabeltes, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering graduate of STI College, realized the benefits of being Huawei-certified soon after she finished her course.

"Being a Huawei Certified ICT Associate made it easier for me to land the job I aspired. The technologies covered in the HCIA courses are prevalent in the company where I work. When I was answering the technical questions during my job interview, it was like answering a certification exam," Cabeltes shared.

Prof. Beronika Peña, STI College's ICT and Engineering Courseware Development Head, is one of the teachers at Huawei ICT Academy. Peña received an Excellent Instructor with a Level A Award from the Academy in 2020.

"We are grateful to be an ICT Academy. Huawei has provided us the means to promote ICT talent development to our teachers and students. Through this partnership, we look forward to producing more competent and industry-ready graduates," she said.

Contributing to the development of the ICT industry

Establishing one's career in today's competitive industries has become a challenging pursuit to most job seekers.

Employers, too, are increasingly having difficulty finding the right person for the job. Too often, there remains a huge gap between the skills required by the industry and what a graduate has to offer.

Given the current state of ICT talent development in the Philippines, Huawei ICT Academy and STI College have committed to equipping Filipino students with the needed knowledge and skills to prepare them for their future career in the ICT industry.

In the long term, the partnership aims to bridge the gap in talent supply and demand toward the sustainable development of the Philippine ICT industry said Mr. Todd Liu, President of Enterprise Business Group, Huawei Philippines.

Huawei relaunches CSR project with US$150M investment

Huawei's Chairman Liang Hua speaks at the Tech & Sustainability: Everyone's Included forum.

HUAWEI on Thursday announced its Seeds for the Future Program 2.0, through which Huawei plans to invest US$150 million in digital talent development over the next five years. This program is expected to benefit more than 3 million additional people.

Huawei held a "Tech & Sustainability: Everyone's Included" forum, co-hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Representatives from Huawei, IUCN, the World Economic Forum, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), and Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) participated to discuss the role of technology in driving sustainability and building a more inclusive, eco-friendly world.

Promoting equal access to education and talent development

According to a 2020 report by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), about 2.2 billion people aged 25 years or younger still lack internet connections at home.

"Digital skills and literacy are not just the foundation for the digital economy; they are also a basic human right defined by the United Nations," said Huawei's Chairman Liang Hua at the forum. "Today we are announcing Huawei's Seeds for the Future Program 2.0. As part of our commitment to continuously developing talent, we will invest US$150 million in this program over the next five years and help college students and young people improve their digital skills. This program is expected to benefit more than 3 million additional people."

Huawei is committed to helping develop digital talent in the countries where it operates. In 2008, Huawei began to roll out talent development programs, through scholarships, technology competitions, and digital skills training, and has invested more than US$150 million in these programs. Huawei has since benefited more than 1.54 million people from over 150 countries.

The Seeds for the Future program is designed to inspire local talents and encourage seeds for the society to tackle digital challenges. The program has benefited more than 100 students in the Philippines. 

As an echo for the forum, Huawei Asia Pacific held the APAC Media Virtual Roundtable with laser focus on addressing digital inclusion and sustainable development of this region. Jay Chen, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific, announced Huawei’s plan to cultivate more than 40,000 ICT talent in the next five years through multiple programs including Seeds for the Future in the region.

“In the digital economy, digital talent is playing an increasingly important role in driving digital transformation and economic growth. The access to education is vital for creating opportunities that support sustainable and fair development. Due to the pandemic, we are moving the program online and opening it up to more outstanding students than ever before,” said Jay Chen.

In Asia Pacific, Huawei has been a firm enabler for building an inclusive talent ecosystem.Amid the pandemic, collaborations with top universities are accelerating. Till now, Huawei has built collaborations with around 200 universities in countries across Asia Pacific and over 40 universities in the Philippines.

Addressing environmental challenges and enabling green development

Climate change and environmental issues are becoming global challenges. Though carbon emissions declined over the past year due to the economic slowdown and worldwide lockdowns, emissions are rapidly rebounding as economies reopen. Shifting to a circular economy and achieving sustainable development is now a common goal for all countries.

"Green and sustainable development has become a top priority for global economies," said Liang. "Huawei has been leveraging its extensive experience in power electronics and energy storage as well as technical expertise in 5G, cloud, and AI, to develop its digital power business and provide digital power solutions for different industries. As of December 2020, Huawei's digital power products and solutions have generated 325 billion kWh of electricity from renewable sources, and saved a total of 10 billion kWh of electricity. These efforts have resulted in a reduction of 160 million tons in CO2 emissions."

In Singapore, for example, Huawei FusionSolar Solution has supported Sunseap Group, a solar energy solutions provider, to build the world's largest offshore floating Photovoltaic (PV) farms. With 13,312 solar panels, 40 inverters, and more than 30,000 floats, this five-hectare sea-based solar plant is estimated to produce up to 6,022,500 kWh of energy per year, supplying enough power for 1250 four-room public housing flats on the island and offsetting an estimated 4258 tons of carbon dioxide, according to Bruce Li, Managing Director of the Huawei Asia-Pacific Enterprise Digital Power Business.

 “By working together, countries can mutually support one another to meet their sustainability commitments. There are many areas where digital technology can support this, such as in enabling a transparent and verifiable carbon market. Singapore’s public and private sectors have expressed interest in working with its neighbors on climate action,” said Associate Professor Simon Tay, Chairman of SIIA at the forum.

How can you survive this lockdown? Here are 3 ways

IF you're like any other Filipino, the constant change from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to modified ECQ to general community quarantine and now back to MECQ must have you on edge.

Do I still have a job? Do I still have work? How's my company? Will I be retrenched, laid off, or fired?

For some Filipinos who have had this happen, the one solution that they seem to have come up with is putting up their own business.

For some, it's all about baking and cooking. For others, it's buy and sell. Whatever choice you make, what is obvious is that online is the best way to go to survive the never-ending quarantine.

Here are some tips to help your online business succeed.

Marry your passion with skill

It's not enough that you feel passionate about something, it also matters that you learn the skills needed to market and sell your passion.

Passion is the most important thing because this is what will help you when the going gets tough and you're facing one challenge after another.

Passion will keep you going when its gets too tough to keep going.

Skills, on the other hand, will be the tools that you can use to slowly fix one problem after the other.

Fail to plan and you plan to fail

When doing business, it's no longer about you relying on a company. You don't get to just time in and time out.

Now, you are the boss, the employee, the accounting, human resources officer, and even the janitorial services.

This means that you need to plan how things will be including your daily schedule, pick up, and attending to customer feedback.

When you fail to plan things, the outcome could be one disaster after another.  

Find a partner you can trust

Project Commerce is composed of a group of people who know what it's like to fail, who knows how it is to overcome failure, and who knows what it takes to succeed.

They say that a smart person learns from their mistakes but a wise person learns from the mistake of others.

Project Commerce can help you go from shopping to shipping. They can help you build the online store of your dreams and they will guide you every step of the way.

At the end of the day, the one thing that matters most is you and your love ones are safe and sound. For other things, let Project Commerce help keep you on track, in business, and on the way to success.

You can contact Project Commerce in the details given below.

A trip to ALA Skin Care

RIGHT at the outskirts of Welcome Rotonda is Wellness City, a fitness gym and a beauty clinic that is strategically located right at the boundary of the cities of Manila and Quezon.

The beauty clinic goes by the name ALA Skin Care. ALA is named after the initials of its founder, dermatologist Alberto L. Adrales.

What makes the skin clinic unique, however, is that it has treatment specially made for men, and that was something I tried when I paid a visit there.

Because I had to attend a soccer coverage that time, I failed to meet Adrales in person, but the staff present still provided me with the facial treatment.

First, the usual things being done in a facial, like sprinkling your face with warm water and the removal of the pimples.

But what makes this facial unique, however, is the inclusion of a mask machine that aims to revitalize your face.

No! I'm not trying to cosplay Jason Voorhees for Halloween.

Unlike the other facial treatment that I've been, my face became clearer here at ALA.

Aside from the basic facial, ALA also offers specialized facials like the oxygen-revitalizing facial, the cryptofusion diamond peel and facial, and platinum peel and facial.

ALA also offers a fat-burning treatment called the multi-shape radiofrequency and thermal blanket.

ALA even offers fitness-oriented life coaching. After all, ALA's mission is "to provide complete healing of the body, mind, and soul."

ALA Skin Care--and the entire Wellness City area--is located at 4 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Quezon City, just beside KFC. For inquiries, call (02)2561940 or 09178446060 or go to its Facebook page (Wellness City) and its Twitter page: @wellnesscityph.

Acer offers Christmas gifts for laptop buyers

GO chic and stylish this holiday season as global tech titan Acer unleashes its latest holiday promo for people who love to go swift and in style and go beyond trends.

Acer offers cool freebies every time you buy your favorite Acer laptop, 2-in-1, All-in-One, or projector until Dec. 31.

For the stylish set, imagine having the best laptop around and wearing a good-looking watch at that while inside your favorite coffee shop and you’ll surely grab attention. The smart Acer Liquid Leap Active Smartwatch is just for you, not just to keep you abreast of time but also as an attractive personal digital companion. Its 1-inch OLED (128 x 32) touchscreen display is a joy to look at, and is perfectly compatible with Android 4.4 systems and above, iOS 7 and iOS 8 and Windows 8.1. It is IPX4 waterproof certified and a full charge can last you 5-7 days. Just buy any Acer laptop with i3 processors or Acer 2-in-1 devices and this nifty gadget worth PHP850 is yours for free.

The Tomiko DigiBox is a cool addition to your home entertainment system and when watching your favorite TV shows and movies in superb digital format. And pairing this with an Acer projector or desktop makes it a truly excellent multimedia combination. The Tomiko DigiBox supports 1080P high-definition video, comes with a Multimedia Playback function (MPEG 1/2/3/4, MKV, MOV, JPEG, GIF, BMP, PNG) and multiple OSD language, with Auto and Manual Search Functions and powerful program edit capabilities. Best of all, you can get this home entertainment buddy worth PHP1,200 absolutely free when you buy Acer projectors or Acer All-in-One desktops with i3, i5 or i7 processors inside.

For those who want uninterrupted power and not lose their productivity at work and/or at play, just buy Acer desktops with i3, i5 or i7 processors or Acer Veriton desktops with i3 and i5 processors and get the Emerson UPS worth PHP1,400 for free. The Emerson UPS guarantees constant and non-stop power during outages for your desktop with high reliability, protection from power surges and overloads and best of all, the Emerson UPS comes in a compact and lightweight form factor. From hereon, no more worries about losing important work in your Acer desktop just because the electricity went out.

Or if you want a cool, light and groovy bag to carry your laptop around safely and securely, just buy qualified Acer laptops (Celeron and Pentium-powered) and you can get the Acer laptop bag worth PHP300 for free. You’ll get peace of mind knowing that your precious Acer laptop is with you all the time inside your green-and-black Acer laptop bag that you can carry anywhere.

To get the Acer Liquid Leap Active Smartwatch, Emerson UPS, Tomiko DigiBox, or Acer laptop bag, simply buy the qualified Acer products from any Acer participating stores and fill out all necessary information in the Promo Claim Form. Present this together with the Official Receipt, cut-out of Box Serial Number, plus two (2) valid IDs at any authorized Acer redemption area.

When claiming via email, simply submit a clear scanned copy of the Promo Claim Form, Original Receipt, Cut-out of Box Serial Number and two (2) valid ID cards to aphi.promos@acer.com. Follow up on your claim via email through (02) 815-3388 local 100.

Other authorized Acer redemption areas are the Acer Service Center along 1651 Paz Guanzon Street, Paco, Manila, Acer Service Center along F. Cabahug corner Almendras Streets in Mabolo, Cebu City, and Acer Service Center at the ground floor of Ateneo de Davao University, 8016 Roxas Avenue, Davao City.

Acer recognized anew by Dow Jones

ACER'S commitment to sustainability has been recognized once again with its listing on two global sustainability indices, the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and MSCI’s Global Sustainability Indexes.

This is the third time Acer has been listed on DJSI’s Emerging Markets Index, and it performed especially well in the areas of Supply Chain Management, Climate Change, and Corporate Citizenship & Philanthropy.

Acer also made it onto MSCI’s Global Sustainability Indexes again, and improved its rating to “AA” in the Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals category. MSCI made particular mention of Acer’s strengths in supply chain management, in addition to demonstrating strong initiatives in improving supply chain labor standards and conflict mineral sourcing transparency.

DJSI World is the gold standard for corporate sustainability indices and the first global index to track leading sustainability-driven companies. MSCI ESG is a leading ESG (Environmental, Social and corporate Governance) rating and analysis firm that serves the global investment community, covering more than 5,000 publicly traded companies worldwide.