Aboitiz Group partners with Connected Women and SM SuperMoms Club for the upskilling of women in tech
The Aboitiz Group in partnership with Connected Women and SM Supermalls’ SuperMoms Club announces its continued commitment to empowering women by providing technology upskilling and meaningful income generation opportunities.
The partnership was announced during the International Women’s Day (IWD) Celebration on Wednesday, March 8, held by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) and United Nations (UN) Women. Anchored on the IWD theme “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for All,” the celebration was focused on advancing the visibility, participation, inclusion, and rights of women in the fields of digital, technology, and innovation.
The announcement was made by Connected Women Founder and Head of Special Projects Gina Romero, UN Women’s WeEmpowerAsia Philippines Country Program Manager Rosalyn Mesina, SM Supermalls President Steven Tan, and Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) First Vice President and Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer Ginggay Hontiveros, who was represented by Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (AFI) Assistant Vice President Danny Cerence, AFI Manager Jowelle Ann Cruz together with AEV Assistant Vice President for Media Relations Maricar Bautista.
As technology continues to revolutionize how society lives, works, and connects, it is important for women to have the skills, knowledge, and opportunities to participate and thrive in today’s digital world.
In line with the IWD theme and a shared vision of championing women’s economic empowerment through technology, women beneficiaries will be trained in Artificial Intelligence and Data Annotation (AIDA) through Connected Women’s award-winning Elevate AIDA program. With their market-aligned skills, these women will have access to long-term, flexible work and livelihood opportunities.
“Through our partnership with Aboitiz and SM SuperMoms, our shared membership of 340,000 women will be empowered in the future of work. Together, we aim to create more opportunities for Filipino women in tech and provide remote work options for inclusive and diverse workplaces. This is a crucial step towards building a more innovative and sustainable workforce for the Philippines’ digital future,” said Connected Women Founder and Head of Special Projects Gina Romero.
Between the partners exists synergies based on the shared belief about the power of technology to bridge the gender gap and empower women.
“Empowering women through technology is not just about providing skills and income, it’s about advancing their vital and rightful position in the digital world. With AI and data annotation training, Filipino women will be empowered to navigate the changing nature of work and contribute to the growth of the economy. Let’s finally bridge the gender gap in tech and create more opportunities for women to thrive and succeed, not just for themselves, but for the entire nation,” said AEV First Vice President and Chief Reputation and Sustainability Officer Ginggay Hontiveros.
Filipino women have historically been disadvantaged in work and economic opportunities due to family commitments and a lack of flexible job opportunities. For Connected Women’s 100,000-strong community and their partners, technology and digital adoption for women is key to women’s empowerment, as well as national economic growth and recovery.
The SM SuperMoms Club is the Philippines’ largest mommy community on Facebook, with over 240,000 members. It is a digital safe space and moderated forum where Filipino mothers can share and support each other, with discussions over pregnancy, motherhood, and work-life balance, among others. Through this partnership, interested SM SuperMoms members can generate income and be financially independent through tech upskilling and remote work opportunities.
The Elevate AIDA training program was launched in 2020, in partnership with UN Women, providing tech upskilling opportunities to women during the height of the pandemic. It has been recognized by the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP) Awards for championing opportunities for women.
As of December 2022, Connected Women has trained over 55,000 women with the support of like-minded partners, including Aboitiz Group business units namely Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) and Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank). Also working with Aboitiz Data Innovation, Connected Women is empowering their members to take on advanced services such as data handling, language annotation, and image annotation for ADI’s Data Science and Artificial intelligence projects.
The recent partnership with Aboitiz Foundation continues the Group’s CSR legacy.
As the Aboitiz Group embarks on its Great Transformation to become the Philippines’ first Techglomerate, they are leveraging technology and a renewed entrepreneurial mindset to drive change for a better world. This includes supporting education and entrepreneurship initiatives that make meaningful impacts on the lives of all Filipinos.
