The Aboitiz Group in partnership with Connected Women and SM Supermalls’ SuperMoms Club continues its commitment to empowering women by providing technology upskilling and income generation opportunities.
The partnership was announced during the International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration last March 8.
Anchored on the IWD theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for all,” the celebration was focused on advancing the visibility, participation, inclusion, and rights of women in the fields of digital, technology, and innovation.
The announcement was made by Connected Women founder and head of Special Projects Gina Romero, UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia Philippines Country Program Manager Rosalyn Mesina, SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) First Vice President and Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer Ginggay Hontiveros, who was represented by Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (AFI) Assistant Vice President Danny Cerence, AFI Manager Jowelle Ann Cruz together with AEV Assistant Vice President for Media Relations Maricar Bautista.
As technology continues to revolutionize how society lives, works, and connects, it is important for women to have the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to participate and thrive in today’s digital world.
Women beneficiaries will be trained in Artificial Intelligence and Data Annotation (AIDA) through Connected Women’s award-winning Elevate AIDA program. With their market-aligned skills, these women will have access to long-term, flexible work and livelihood opportunities.
“Through our partnership with Aboitiz and SM SuperMoms, our shared membership of 340,000 women will be empowered in the future of work. This is a crucial step towards building a more innovative and sustainable workforce for the Philippines’ digital future,” Romero said.
Between the partners exists synergies based on the shared belief about the power of technology to bridge the gender gap and empower women.
“Empowering women through technology is not just about providing skills and income, it’s about advancing their vital and rightful position in the digital world. With AI and data annotation training, Filipino women will be empowered to navigate the changing nature of work and contribute to the growth of the economy. Let’s finally bridge the gender gap in tech and create more opportunities for women to thrive and succeed, not just for themselves, but for the entire nation,” said Hontiveros said.
Filipino women have historically been disadvantaged in work and economic opportunities due to family commitments and a lack of flexible job opportunities.
The Elevate AIDA training program was launched in 2020, in partnership with UN Women, providing tech upskilling opportunities to women during the height of the pandemic. It has been recognized by the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) Awards for championing opportunities for women.
As of December 2022, Connected Women has trained over 55,000 women with the support of like-minded partners, including Aboitiz Group business units namely Aboitiz Power Corporation and Union Bank of the Philippines.
Also working with Aboitiz Data Innovation, Connected Women is empowering their members to take on advanced services such as data handling, language annotation, and image annotation for ADI’s Data Science and Artificial intelligence projects. – Press release
