Unionbank primes teachers for digital, higher learning

UNIONBANK of the Philippines aims to train 800,000 public-school teachers all over the country to enhance their digital skills.

Dave Devilles, Unionbank ’s head of sustainability, said the program “train[s] people who are not yet digital savvy,” as he revealed the financial institution aims to finish the training this October.

With its Xcellerator Program, Unionbank and its subsidiary City Savings Bank (CSB) gave P660,000 and P330,000, respectively, for the “Help Educators Rise to Online Education 2021,” or the “HEROES” project, of Thames International School.

Devilles said it is important for the education sector to pursue a digital-transformation road map, as part of adjusting to the new normal. He said Unionbank supports the education drive, which jibes with its Peopletech initiative to build skills and capabilities of the future, as part of the financial firm’s corporate social responsibility program.

CSB, on the other hand, continues to strengthen its partnership engagement with the Department of Education (Deped) by supporting its Learning Continuity Plan, which ensures students’ learning progress outside classroom walls.

Devilles said HEROES 2021 will train Deped teachers and provide access to learning programs on emerging technologies, so they can keep up with the changing education landscape.

Michelle Rubio, Unionbank’s chief of human resources, pointed out the important role of technology during the pandemic: “Technology has proven to be extremely useful during these challenging times. For [us], we quickly pivoted, which made us agile [in adjusting] to the times.”

In today’s environment, Rubio said students and professionals need to continue learning new programs and technologies. She said constant reskilling is needed to become relevant: “In digital transformation, jobs will be lost, and jobs will be created.”

Rubio said the HEROES 2021 program has been designed to boost the soft skills of teachers, and will be mentored by Microsoft-certified employees. “This initiative is part of democratizing learning [through Unionbank University, which allows our employees and teachers to obtain] additional skills via the virtual space toward higher learning.”