MANILA, PHILIPPINES — PLDT Global Corporation (PGC), the international arm of the country’s largest integrated telco PLDT, has partnered with social impact start-up Connected Women to provide stay-at-home women with livelihood opportunities in the technology industry.
Under this partnership, women participants are trained and engaged to help improve customer experience by analyzing large quantities of customer feedback included in PGC’s Voice-of-the-Consumer (VOC) program, powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The resulting data set is used to train PGC’s AI platform, paving the way for automated real-time data classification, organization and analysis at scale. The ultimate goal of the VOC program is to guide improvements in the way PLDT Global serves its customers.
“Women are a powerful force – no matter what industry or business,” said Kat Luna-Abelarde, President and CEO at PGC. “They have the competence and the determination to take on challenges for the improvement of their careers, and the betterment of their loved ones. We are grateful to be able to benefit from the time and talent of such champions in our quest for greater customer centricity.”
“Together with PGC and the rest of the PLDT Group, and the other companies that have so generously helped provide job opportunities, training, and tools, we are looking forward to empowering more women through entrepreneurship and remote work. This partnership with Connected Women forms part of PLDT and Smart’s larger initiative to support the global agenda for women,” said Deborah N. Tan, FVP of Enterprise Risk Management at Smart.
With the goal of training over a thousand women by 2021, Connected Women’s Elevate AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Data Annotation) program offers online skills development and remote work opportunities in the artificial intelligence industry. Backed by UN Women, the 75,000 member-strong organization launched ConnectedWomen.ai to provide a talent pool for businesses worldwide while creating an impact for Filipino women and their families.
Smart will support Connected Women’s upskilling initiatives that include data labeling, remote work, professional communication, and computer skills, which are all scalable in the digital remote workspace. Participants will also benefit from career coaching, developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills and mentoring.
“When we uplift women, we uplift all of society as well,” Tan added.
