Discover how Salesforce and Ayala Foundation are empowering young Filipino women with essential digital skills, paving the way for a more inclusive, digitally proficient workforce in the Philippines and fostering gender equality.
Today, Salesforce, the global technology company renowned for its AI-driven customer relationship management (CRM) platform, unveiled a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ayala Foundation, the social development arm of the Ayala group of companies. Their collaborative mission is to provide digital and CRM skills to a larger number of women in the Philippines.
In this partnership, Salesforce is set to facilitate a series of online workshops and digital skills training sessions for 185 young Filipino women between the ages of 18 and 24. These beneficiaries are recipients of the U-Go Scholar Grant, a joint initiative by Ayala Foundation and U-Go, an educational startup. This initiative’s overarching goal is to assist Filipino women from disadvantaged backgrounds in their pursuit of higher education, thereby bolstering female representation within the workforce.
According to projections by the World Bank, an annual growth in female labor force participation of 0.5 percentage points could boost the Philippines’ GDP per capita by nearly 10% by 2050. The collaboration between Salesforce and Ayala Foundation is focused on empowering Filipino women with the skills necessary to engage in the digital economy. A study conducted by the Asian Development Bank and LinkedIn has shown that six out of the last ten hires in the Philippines required basic digital literacy and skills, with two of those hires necessitating advanced digital competencies.
The training program, led by Salesforce, will be conducted through bi-monthly virtual workshops that cover a range of topics, including best practices in data access and security, as well as reporting and dashboard creation. Additionally, participants will have access to Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform, where they can explore carefully curated learning modules. This will allow them to develop crucial skills in areas like AI, data management, and CRM at their own pace.
As part of the training, the women will gain proficiency in leveraging Salesforce solutions for various digital applications. This will involve learning to manage and configure Salesforce tools, understand and qualify data, design effective dashboards and reports, and implement data security and user access best practices.
Upon successful completion of the training, participants will be awarded a Salesforce Admin Super Set credential. This credential will open doors to job opportunities as Salesforce Administrators and pave the way for potential roles as developers, architects, or business analysts in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Salesforce has already initiated training for the first and second cohorts of Ayala Foundation’s U-Go Scholar Grant, beginning at the end of September. Their plans extend beyond these initial cohorts, with a commitment to training more women in the future through subsequent programs.
“Salesforce is committed to addressing both the digital skills and the gender gap in the Philippines, ensuring that the local workforce has equitable access to education, skills training, and career opportunities. We believe that building a diverse talent pool is at the heart of creating a foundation for resilient businesses in the Philippines, and will go a long way towards realising the country’s digital ambitions,” said Sujith Abraham, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Salesforce ASEAN. “Together with Ayala Foundation, we are proud to be empowering Filipino women with the skills necessary to take on jobs in the growing digital economy – to deliver better outcomes for all.”
The partnership between Salesforce and Ayala Foundation not only exemplifies a commitment to gender equality and economic empowerment but also underscores the crucial role of digital skills in shaping the future of the workforce. By equipping these young Filipino women with valuable knowledge and tools, this initiative contributes to a brighter, more inclusive, and digitally proficient future for the Philippines. As these women pursue their careers and become leaders in their fields, the positive impact of this collaborative effort is bound to resonate throughout the country’s economy and society, serving as a testament to the transformative power of education and technology in the 21st century.