The advent of modern technology has paved for the continuous growth of businesses across different industries such as manufacturing, information technology, engineering and medicine. As such, there has been an ever-growing demand from graduates to possess a certain degree of proficiency in computer education—however providing this to Filipino students remains to be a challenge in the country.
Taking on the challenge, pioneering multinational call center, SYKES Philippines, is helping to address this gap by launching initiatives to support its advocacy in providing accessible quality education to students. During the inauguration of their newest site in Alabang, SYKES announced its donation for Pedro E. Diaz High School in Muntinlupa.
SYKES Vice President for Philippine Operations Dean Van Ormer awards a Certificate of Donation to Pedro E. Diaz High School Principal Dr. Rosendo Sangalang. The certificate symbolizes SYKES’s recent assistance to the computer education curriculum of Muntinlupa-based school. SYKES recently donated 50 computers, a projector, a projector screen, and airconditioning units to the school and the company likewise refurbished the school’s computer laboratory.
“SYKES has always been an advocate of improving education. As a technology-based company, we understand the importance of receiving computer education in the classroom,” said SYKES Vice President for Philippine Operations Dean Van Ormer. Van Ormer said they chose the school “because it is a technical school and it will greatly benefit from the SYKES support.”
The company donated 50 computer units and is also spearheading the refurbishment of the school’s computer laboratory. They are providing air conditioning units, a projector, as well as a projector screen, alongside the renovations.
“We wanted the computer laboratory to be more conducive to classroom discussions and hands-on training. We hope that the students would find more inspiration when they see the changes in their classroom environment,”added by Van Ormer as he stressed the importance of having the right equipment for a better learning experience.
Van Ormer further explained that the computer donation is part of SYKES’s continuing support for Philippine communities. “We are committed to helping communities, and as we continue to expand our operations in the Philippines, we hope to touch more lives and more people. Now that we’ve opened a site in Alabang, we wanted to do something for the community of our newfound home, thus, leading us into meeting the beautiful people of Pedro E. Diaz,” Van Ormer added.
Pedro E. Diaz’s Principal, Dr. Rosendo Sangalang, acknowledged that the donation and refurbishment would greatly improve the students’ computer education experience. “It will greatly improve the learning curve of our students in computer education, which in turn, will grant them the necessary skill and knowledge that will aid them in achieving their goals,” Sangalang said. Sangalang likewise said that access to computers will inspire students to take technology-based courses when they pursue higher education.
SYKES spearheaded the computer donation through its advocacy arm, SYKES Cares. Over the past 20 years, SYKES Cares has launched multiple initiatives under its education advocacy pillar. It has launched its Night High School Scholarship Program in partnership with Springboard Foundation. The program assisted 49 high school students to further pursue their education through financial assistance. SYKES has also previously partnered with Children’s Hour to provide support for 15 Computer Hardware Servicing students at Miriam College Adult Education.
Aside from these projects, the company has continuously spearheaded other efforts such as the construction of the computer laboratory for Kalayaan Elementary School in Paranaque, building a library and additional classrooms for the Philippine Christian Foundation School in Tondo, and donation of computer units to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
