Asia Pacific College first to offer senior high school powered by Microsoft
ASIA Pacific College (APC) has collaborated with Microsoft Philippines for the enhancement of its senior high school curriculum. Established in 1991 by the SM Foundation and IBM, the multi-awarded school is the first to graduate Grade 12 students. The MOU was signed by APC board chair Ramon Y. Dimacali and Microsoft Philippines country general manager Karrie C. Ilagan.
Through this collaboration, Microsoft applications and learning resources will be integrated in the APC senior high school curriculum, specifically in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) strands. Senior high school students will be given the opportunity to acquire Microsoft Certifications such as Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) and Microsoft Technology Specialist (MTA) on top of their high school diploma.
“Our partnership with APC enables us to deliver solutions that help transform education and create truly connected, immersive learning experiences,” said Dondi Mapa, national technology officer of Microsoft Philippines. “What is significant about this partnership is that with the integration of Microsoft Certifications for senior high school students, they become qualified to apply for work.”
The partnership between APC and Microsoft Philippines comes at an opportune time. In June 2016 all Grade 10 graduates will enter senior high school or Grade 11 as mandated by RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. With the envisioned success of the program, APC and Microsoft intend to open source the curriculum for other schools who want to integrate IT education and certifi- cations into the competence of their students.
Being the first academic institution to produce industry-ready senior high school graduates, APC boasts of its industry-based curriculum carefully designed to answer the industry’s demand for technically skilled professionals. With the addition of Microsoft Philippines to its long list of industry partners, APC assures its students that they are not only getting quality education and learning experiences that will help them become globally competitive, they are also already qualified for employment when they finish senior high school.