Committed to uplifting communities and providing livelihood opportunities, Aboitiz InfraCapital partnered with Connected Women, an innovative social enterprise advocating for upskilling women in technology, to empower 100 Filipino women through a specialized training program in Artificial Intelligence (AI) data annotation. This partnership was solidified in a signing of a Memorandum of Agreement on August 14, 2023, at the AIC office in BGC, Taguig.
Under this partnership, AIC will back Connected Women’s flagship initiative, Elevate AIDA, which provides women in vulnerable and displaced sectors of society with free online training on data annotation and digital skills to help them qualify for jobs in the booming global artificial intelligence industry. The program will initially focus on college undergraduates, unemployed graduates, and unemployed mothers from Davao as part of its pilot batch, then eventually expand to communities from identified areas in Luzon and Visayas.
“We believe that knowledge is the greatest tool of empowerment that’s why we welcome this opportunity to help Connected Women in supporting online skills development and eventually providing remote work opportunities for women,” AIC President and CEO Cosette Canilao said. “This is aligned with our company’s purpose of enabling business and uplifting communities, and in the process helping improve the lives of our fellowmen for the long haul,” she added.
The Elevate AIDA training program will include an online/classroom course and on-the-job training. It will cover a range of topics, including data labeling techniques, remote work best practices, basic professional communication, and basic computer skills, all of which are scalable in the digital remote workspace. Moreover, it will foster a supportive environment that encourages networking, collaboration, and mentorship, ensuring participants’ holistic growth.
“When we have the women as part of Elevate AIDA, they don’t always graduate as data annotators or technology workers. But they definitely graduate as different people,” Connected Women CEO Agnes Gervacio said. “They are more excited about what the future holds for them,” she added.
Aboitiz InfraCapital President and CEO Cosette Canilao (left) and Connected Women CEO Agnes Gervacio (right) as the main signatories of the Memorandum of Agreement sealed the partnership to empower women in AI technology
(L-R) AIC VP for External Relations Vince Tan, AIC Chief of Staff for the CEO Robert Anthony Siy III, AIC Head of External Affairs Chris Camba, AIC Head of Reputation Management Arline Adeva, AIC Head of Transformation Strategy Maita Villanueva, AIC President and CEO Cosette Canilao, CW CEO Agnes Gervacio, CW Founder and Head of Special Projects Gina Romero, CW Co-founder Ruth Yu Owen, CW Chair Michael Yaxley, and CW CTO and Co-founder Bobby Jimenez.
