IN the latest Digital Inclusion Benchmark conducted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA), PLDT ranked 12th out of 150 companies, joining global businesses like Apple, Cisco, Samsung and Alphabet in the Top 15. They recognized PLDT as the highest-ranking company headquartered in a developing country. From 100 companies in the first iteration, WBA shortlisted and ranked in the second Digital Inclusion Benchmark 150 most influential technology companies in the world on their efforts across four indicators — enhancing digital skills, fostering trustworthy use, innovating openly and ethically, and improving access to technology.
WBA noted the PLDT group's initiatives on skills development, where it ranked second among companies surveyed. In partnership with the University of the Philippine Open University (UPOU), the Infoteach Program provides nationwide digital literacy training for students. Training small-scale Filipino farmers on using technology to improve harvest and market crops is done through the Digital Farmers Program (DFP). The Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (Sweep) is the country's longest-running industry-academe linkage helping to produce industry-ready graduates or technopreneurs. The School-in-a-Bag is a portable digital classroom that brings education to children in far-flung communities. These programs address narrowing of the digital divide and the inclusion of marginalized sectors.
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