Following the successful launch of the RELX Academy in June 2021 with the inking of a Memorandum of Understanding between RELX International and local social enterprise Liyab, the RELX Academy has announced at an exclusive digital event yet another initiative – the Entrepreneurship Webinar Series.
The Entrepreneurship Webinar Series complements the RELX Academy initiative by welcoming renowned local and international business leaders to speak on the topic of entrepreneurship. In the inaugural webinar, RELX International is honoured to welcome serial entrepreneur and mentor RJ Ledesma who is himself the founder of three startups including Easy Franchise and Mercato Centrale, the largest night food market in the country that helps incubate many food businesses for future success.
Speaking at the webinar, RJ Ledesma who is also an Agora Awardee for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and an Accredited GoNegosyo Mentor, said that this New Normal also presents a ‘new’ way of approaching business opportunities, especially when you use an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’. ‘The job of an entrepreneur is not to say if a situation is good or bad for business. The job of an entrepreneur is to identify business opportunities in good and bad situations. After that, the next job is to turn ‘pain points’ into inspirations for business opportunities.’ says Ledesma.
At the launch event, RELX International reaffirmed its commitment in investing in the local communities that it operates in, adding that the Philippines was selected as the pilot country to launch the RELX Academy where micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) account for 99.5% of registered businesses in the country.
Speaking at the event, Elgin Seah, RELX International’s Regional Manager for External Affairs was heartened at the success of the initiative, with over a hundred participants to date benefiting from the entrepreneurship courses that have been curated from top global universities.
Elgin Seah said: “Since the inception of the Academy, we have received strong interest in the program, with some participants even enrolling in numerous courses to advance their learning while preparing to kickstart their own entrepreneurship journey.”
“The entrepreneurship webinar series seeks to provide an intimate interaction with participants by engaging in key entrepreneurship topics close to the hearts of many with a diverse group of business movers and shakers.” he added.
RELX Academy
A global initiative under the company’s recently launched RELX Pledge, the RELX Academy is first launched in the Philippines, in partnership with top online course provider edX. RELX will sponsor curated entrepreneurship courses crafted by top universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the University of British Columbia which will provide training in areas such as business planning, retail management, and strategies for successful customer acquisition.
More than equipping entrepreneurs with the skills to achieve business growth and success, through the RELX Academy, the company will also be providing graduates interested in operating a RELX store with support of up to P300,000 including product support of up to P1.7M. Moreover, these entrepreneurs will likewise gain incentives like design support, furniture support, opening promotion and training, while benefiting from a limited time franchise fee waiver.
The RELX Academy is an initiative of the company’s Green Shoots program that aims to champion entrepreneurship and empower small businesses around the world. These were recently launched as part of the RELX Pledge, a three-pronged global initiative that seeks to protect minors through the Guardian Program, consumers through Golden Shield, and empower economic livelihoods through Green Shoots.
The RELX Academy is currently accepting enrollees for the program. Sign up today at https://partnerships.edx.org/relx-academy.
