Month: October 2017

The Ayala Group’s contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals were given focus at the Nordic Ambassadors’ Luncheon in Shangri-la Fort held last October 26, 2017.  TG Limcaoco represented Ayala Group’s Chairman and CEO, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (JAZA) at the event. With the Nordic countries at the forefront of the campaign in achieving the targets of the SDGs, Ayala presented how it makes a difference in the local arena and how it supports the SDGs as a whole. 

Ayala has aligned its strategies to the SDGs since the inception of the goals – a move that is proven to be significant and commendable given the strategies of other countries to push for the SDGs today. Congratulatory messages were further expressed by the Ambassadors for JAZA for being the first UN Global Compact SDG Pioneer in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. 

The speakers expressed that Nordic countries give prime importance in Sustainability, and in the realization of certain targets: health, education, infrastructure development, climate change, job generation, and peace. These show an alignment with Ayala’s goals and core businesses. At the event, speakers stressed that companies with strong Sustainability efforts have a statistically higher chance for both profit and positive impact in the years to come. 

Other notable companies were given light at the event for their Sustainability efforts and strategies such as IKEA, H&M, and Spotify. Some of the Nordic countries also gave a glimpse of their upcoming efforts to further their campaign for a green economy and to further mitigate climate change by 2040. Despite bagging the top four ranks in the index of countries who promote the SDGs, the Nordic countries stressed that they continue to seek more ways to enhance their contribution and efforts. However, there is one point highlighted by Denmark Ambassador Jan Top Christensen: “Without peace, there cannot be development”, and so, the Filipino community was congratulated for the end of the war in Marawi. 

The companies present at the event were given the inspiration to continue their businesses with the SDGs in mind. Positive development is seen in the Philippines but more can be done, and the role of the private sector is very significant. As stated by TG Limcaoco, “We cannot discount the relevance of the private sector, and collaborative efforts with other sectors is key.” 

With this in mind, Ayala will carry on with its goal of contributing significantly to the SDGs, not because of compliance, but because of the company’s inner drive to make a difference and improve lives. 

APEC Schools, in partnership with Accenture Philippines, is running the Hour of Code^TM Program for all Grade 7 students across its APEC Schools branches. Together with volunteers from Accenture Philippines, APEC will be organizing computer-coding sessions where every student will be learning the fundamentals of computer programming to help them prepare and succeed in future academic pursuits and employment.

To strengthen the initiative, APEC is collaborating with Accenture to share its technology knowledge and expertise. As a strong advocate of adoption of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education among today’s youth, Accenture has been supporting Hour of Code activities in the country since 2015. Globally, it has conducted Hour of Code activities in close to 200 cities around the globe. APEC will be conducting An Hour of Code sessions that will cover more than 3,000 Grade 7 students from all APEC Schools Branches by the end of this school year.

Under the program, the one-hour introduction to computer science is designed to demystify “code” and provide a fun way of learning computer programming basics. The program aims to foster interest and broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to various community efforts.

With the pervasiveness of technology, students’ ability to succeed in any chosen field will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works. At APEC Schools, the use of technology is deeply integrated into the teaching and learning process. Learning with and about technology develops the students’ problem-solving skills, logic, and creativity. It also provides the foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.

Operated by AC Education, an Ayala company, APEC Schools is the largest private, non-sectarian chain of high schools in the Philippines. It aims to transform millions of lives by providing high-quality yet affordable education and by producing graduates that are ready for college and professional employment.

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* APEC Schools is operated by AC Education, an Ayala company and presently has 16,200 high school students across 23 branches in the NCR, Cavite, Rizal, and Batangas.

** Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With more than 375,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

***The ‘Hour of Code™’ is a global initiative by Computer Science Education Week[csedweek.org] and Code.org[code.org] to introduce millions of students in 180+ countries to one hour of computer science and computer programming.

Forbes Global 2000, an annual ranking of the top 2,000 public companies in the world by Forbes Magazine, ranked Ayala top 18 in its first-ever list of the World’s Best Employers in 2017. The news sparked pride among #AyalaCitizens. Among those at the top of the list were Google’s parent company, Alphabet; Microsoft; the Japan Exchange Group; and Apple. 
More than 36,000 global recommendations were analyzed by business intelligence portal, Statista, for Forbes magazine to come up with the World’s Best Employers list. Companies were evaluated based on internal and public perceptions of employees. The 500 companies receiving the highest total scores were awarded with the World’s Best Employers title.

See the full list here