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Online Resilience Hub Empowers Philippine MSMEs

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) presented its various projects supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) during the recent online launch of the “Biyaheng Digiskarte” Project. The agency presented SIKAP, Synergising Recovery Initiatives, Knowledge, and Adaptation Practices for MSMEs—a unified online resilience hub that provides information on the latest available loans, programmes, and online events specifically for MSMEs in the Philippines.

SIKAP also offers mentorship opportunities for MSMEs provided by industry leaders and experts, with some tracks focused on digital transformation. SIKAP is in partnership with the United Nations (UN) Development Programme, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Connecting Business Initiative.

Like SIKAP, the “Biyaheng Digiskarte: Digitalisation of Small Businesses for Recovery and Competitiveness” is a mentoring programme that aims to equip MSMEs with the knowledge and skills in using appropriate digital tools and technologies to aid in their business recovery. It is designed to help individual entrepreneurs, cooperative members and officers, and community-based organisations assess their digital readiness in a time when the digital transformation has become the key to success in the constantly changing circumstances.

They defined “Digiskarte” as the use of digital tools, approaches and innovations in doing business, incorporating gadgets, the Internet, social media, and online platforms in business strategies. This new approach allows MSMEs to expand their customer base and sell their products and services online. It also enables more efficient and cost-effective coordination along the supply chain, streamlining raw materials sourcing, logistics, warehousing, payments, and remote work setups.

One member of the foundation emphasised the need to educate more business owners on using digital technology solutions for complex problems. The use of digital technology is not the only solution, but it is a powerful tool to help MSMEs deal with different problems.

The project will develop learning modules and materials. These will be conducted in various formats: webinars, coaching/mentoring, self-directed exercises, and experience-sharing opportunities with co-mentees. The project will also establish a pool of volunteer expert mentors and establish partnerships with organisations with existing MSME development programmes such as SIKAP, Go Negosyo, Philippine Partnerships for Sustainable Agriculture, and many others.

As reported by OpenGov Asia, the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Region 7 recognises the challenges brought by the pandemic which exposed the vulnerabilities of the country’s society in terms of digital access. These vulnerabilities are not new issues, but existing social inequalities such as the digital divide that demand recalibrated solutions. To ensure that workers, entrepreneurs, and enterprises pull through the current challenges, the agency is aware of the need to address these gaps that hinder the drive towards inclusive growth and innovation.

According to a recent report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), around 4 million Filipinos or 8.7% of the workforce remained unemployed as of January 2021, leaving a dent in the productivity of the country. To combat this, the DICT aims to equip the labour force with new skills through various upskilling and capacity-building initiatives enabled by information and communications technology.

DTI-7 Director said the collaborative initiative will help promote digital opportunities for both displaced workers, entrepreneurs, and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and business enterprises in the area. With TESDA’s reach and resources, the agencies hope to expand the coverage of upskilling programmes such as the DICT’s DigitalJobsPH.

Accordingly, the DICT through its DigitalJobsPH project is offering various free online technical training tracks on information and communications technology (ICT) to provide alternative learning opportunities for the working population whose livelihoods were adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis. DICT Secretary said the participation of MSMEs from affected sectors is encouraged to boost their skills development during the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon and other parts of the country.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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