Rhea-Luz Valbuena, Executive Director of School of Computing and Information Technologies (SoCIT) of Asia Pacific College, Josephine de la Cuesta, Executive Director of Academic Services of Asia Pacific College, Leo Liu, General Manager of the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau SAR, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and Allen Guo, Country Manager for the Philippines, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence, sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
A joint innovation lab to create innovative industry solutions
Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, is partnering with Asia Pacific College (APC) to train and strengthen the cloud computing competencies of teachers and students as part of its efforts on local digital talent empowerment in the Philippines.
Part of the partnership is an establishment of a state-of-the-art joint innovation lab on the APC campus. This innovation lab will serve as a dynamic incubator, fostering the development of creative industry solutions and promoting collaboration among students, faculty, and industry professionals.
The partnership with Alibaba Cloud will enable APC educators, learners, and even its IT team to enhance their cloud knowledge through various cutting-edge technology workshops, online and offline training, and certification courses. Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Program (AAEP) will also open opportunities for students to get invited to local community events to meet and learn from professionals and industry leaders. To equip teachers to lead training and workshop sessions in the future, Alibaba Cloud also includes a dedicated knowledge transfer session and hands-on laboratory classes for educators.
Through AAEP, students will get local and global internship and competition opportunities as well as invites to campus events through Alibaba Cloud’s well-connected global network, enabling them to learn from world-class professionals. The exposure and experience will help students and teachers develop a digital-forward mindset that can then guide them in pursuing a career or higher education in the future.
Alibaba Cloud will also strengthen APC’s cloud infrastructure with the company’s cloud solutions for data backup, students’ management system and online teaching platform. These will ensure the efficiency and security of the school’s remote access and overall online system.
“Creating a digital future means being proactive and assisting people and institutions that will drive the future of digitalization. This also means investing in students and teachers. We admire APC’s initiative and commitment to its learners, educators, and IT team to provide them with the tools and skills they will need not just to survive but also to thrive in the digital future. We believe that by equipping them with relevant skills and knowledge, more opportunities will come their way,” shared Allen Guo, country manager for the Philippines, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
“From the very beginning, we know that economic growth and progress are heavily influenced by technology. That’s why all our programs and curriculum, including future projects, are anchored on technology. We have been equipping our educators and students with the right digital tools. The AAEP, which has been incorporated into major universities’ curriculum, will further support our programs in place and help us produce graduates and professionals that will steer digital growth in their chosen fields,” said Rhea-Luz Valbuena, Executive Director of School of Computing and Information Technologies (SoCIT) of APC.
Asia Pacific College, established in 1991, is a leading institution in IT education based in Makati. In consortium with National University, APC is dedicated to advancing knowledge and educating students in IT, entrepreneurship, engineering and commerce. A nonprofit venture by IBM Philippines and SM Foundation, APC has been proudly producing talent that serve in the business and industries sectors.
The Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Program (AAEP) is a global education program that aims to help schools and students gain access to Alibaba Cloud learning resources and nurture future talent in the areas of cloud computing, big data and cloud security. The program works directly with accredited universities and other educational institutions to provide resources and tools to educators, students, and researchers.
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