Aboitiz unit taps TESDA for online skills training

Aboitiz food business unit PIlmico Foods Corporation, in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) leveraged its digital preparedness to bring baking and cooking lessons to the public through digital platforms Facebook and Zoom.

Dubbed Pilmico-TESDA Bake/Cook with Chef Webinar Series is a free, online avenue for learning and skills development for Pilmico customers including small and medium bakery owners and home bakers, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs.

In a statement, Pilmico said that its combined social media account with TESDA, has a following of more than a million individual users, helps get more people to make the most of this free online learning sessions.

“Despite the difficulty that COVID-19 brought on a global scale, now is the time for innovation to take over and create solutions that will help sustain the food value chain,” said Joeben Gamatero, II, Pilmico Vice President for Brand and Marketing, and head of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) group.

“Innovation has always been a part of the core values of Pilmico and Aboitiz. And now, we are reaping the benefits as it enables us to come up with solutions that help us maintain a high level of service quality for our stakeholders,” Gamatero added.

Likewise, TESDA believes that the webinar series could be one of the solutions to address the unemployment woes of the many Filipinos affected by the community quarantine who had to stop work and have no clear source of income.

“Job security is a major concern during this pandemic. Time and again, we have proven the resilience of Filipinos. But in this kind of situation, everybody needs to be innovative to provide some kind of relief to Filipino families who are affected,” said TESDA Acting Deputy Director-General Lina Sarmiento in her keynote speech during the launch of the webinar series.

The webinar series is among Pilmico’s initiatives to continue providing total customer solutions amid the limitations brought about by the pandemic.

Innovation is one of the core values of the Aboitiz Group and all its strategic business units, and has long been ingrained in its practices. When the pandemic hit, the Food Group quickly shifted to online consultations to ensure the needs of customers and team members are constantly met, in preparation for the “new normal.”

Aside from utilizing online platforms such as virtual and e-customer visits for business consultations and business guidance for Pilmico farms customers, Pilmico addressed the learning needs of its customers through other virtual engagement initiatives.

The webinar series, which started last April and officially launched last May 26, airs on Zoom and Pilmico Flour’s Facebook page thrice a month. It is hosted by Pilmico’s Flour team and features different Pilmico chefs and technical experts from TESDA, with live baking or cooking demonstrations and a question and answer right after.