To help boost women empowerment in the new normal, PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) has partnered with social impact start-up Connected Women for technology upskilling and livelihood opportunities for women across the Philippines.

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.

After the online classroom course and on-the-job training, Connected Women facilitates job matching and placement on projects with a variety of global clients. Connected Women Founder Gina Romero explained that the rapid growth of the online job market is creating more opportunities for women, which is why many of Connected Women’s programs focus on digital upskilling and digital marketing. Artificial Intelligence Data Labelling market is expected to hit USD 1.6 billion by 2025 and has created jobs that need humans to perform tagging, classification, moderation and image processing tasks for AI.

“Collaborative partnerships are imperative to the success of our programs and scaling our impact. With our aligned vision to connect more Filipinos to opportunities in the Future of Work, Connected Women is delighted to partner with SMART on this initiative – ensuring no woman is left behind,” says Gina Romero, CEO and Co-Founder of Connected Women.
“Smart’s partnership with Connected Women underscores our commitment to empower Filipinos through technology that can unlock and share their infinite potential,” says Deborah N. Tan, FVP of Enterprise Risk Management at Smart.

“Digital literacy and inclusive technologies are important to support livelihood in the new normal, and Smart has been put in a unique position to help address the evolving needs of our customers – in this case, vulnerable women,” says Jane J. Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Business – Wireless at Smart.

Apart from Smart, Connected Women’s other key partners include the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) and Facebook, for a nationwide digital marketing training program for women. The organization has also collaborated with the United Nations Development Program for projects in Mindanao.

Smart’s partnership with Connected Women is aligned with the commitment of its parent company, the country’s largest integrated telco PLDT, to support the 17 Sustainable Goals of the United Nations, particularly in promoting decent work and economic growth, as well as upholding gender equality.

“A smart, connected woman is ready for the opportunities that technology brings — and has the courage to pursue them. With this #SmartConnectedWomen partnership, we look forward to working together to reach women from all over the Philippines to make sure they have access to the upskilling and connectivity they need to be part of the future of work,” Romero expounds.

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Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is a wholly-owned wireless communications and digital services subsidiary of PLDT, Inc., the Philippines’ largest integrated telecommunications company. Smart serves approximately 95% of the country’s cities and municipalities with its combined 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE network*, providing mobile communication services, high-speed internet connectivity, and access to digital services and content to over 73.1 million Filipinos, through its commercial brands Smart, TNT, and Sun. Smart also offers satellite communication services under the brand Smart World.

As part of PLDT’s massive digital transformation, Smart has committed to give more than 90% of the population access to its most advanced LTE network, in order to support the country’s growing digital economy, as well as provide the best customer experience for an increasingly digital Filipino lifestyle.

*as of end-December 2019

Connected Women is a social impact tech startup, which offers technology skills development and remote work opportunities to women.

We provide affordable talent for businesses globally while creating an impact for Filipino women and their families.

Connected Women is proud to be recognised for creating meaningful progress towards achieving the sustainable development goals: Finalist – MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge (ASIA), Finalist – RSA Future Work Awards (UK), Champion for e-Employment – WSIS (Geneva), Finalist – COVID-19 Action, UN Women, WEPs Awards (Philippines).

To partner with Connected Women on our initiatives or to hire our women trained with AI skills, contact us at:
[email protected]