07 June 2013
Executives of drinks giant Coca Cola renewed its commitment to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to provide women entrepreneurs access to skills training and technical and financial support.
The collaboration builds on the synergies between TESDA's technical vocational education and training (TVET) programs and Coca-Cola's 5 by 20 women's economic empowerment initiative to help address hindrances that women entrepreneurs commonly face in some of the world's developing economies.
TESDA and Coca-Cola earlier partnered to push the 5 by 20 Program in the Philippines through the STAR Program (Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources).
The program is part of Coca-Cola’s global push to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2020, with the Philippines pledging to help 100,000 women sari-sari store owners by that year through skills training and access to other support.
"TESDA is grateful for this affirmation of commitment and support from Coca-Cola. We are upbeat about this continued opportunity to harness the collective power of our organizations to positively impact on women in the Philippines," Secretary Joel Villanueva, TESDA director general, said.
During the meeting, Coca-Cola pledged to continue creating an environment for women retailers that will enable them to grow their business and achieve economic empowerment.
It acknowledged TESDA as "one of the global lead markets" for its 5 by 20 initiative, adding that the Coke-TESDA STAR Program "is the best in class by which other Coca-Cola markets look up to for best practice."
The STAR Program trained select women retailers and sari-sari store owners in managing their business. The assistance also included accessing financial capital, peer mentoring support and merchandising through convergence of partners from both the public and private sectors.
The program has so far trained 68 trainers and produced 7,284 women who are better equipped in terms of entrepreneurial skills in seven regions covering 11 provinces. The number of women beneficiaries and target sites will be expanded this year and the succeeding years of the program's implementation until it has completed the 100,000 target.
"Women entrepreneurs reflect significant untapped economic potential in the Philippines. They are essential for creating jobs and achieving growth that is sustainable," Villanueva said.
During their visit to the TESDA Complex, the Coca-Cola executives saw the ongoing database management training of TESDA staff involved in program implementation and the classes of woman trainees on micro-financing. They were also able to talk to some of the beneficiaries of the program.
Among Coca-Cola's top officials who met with Villanueva were Ahmet Bozer, president of Coca-Cola International; Manolo Arroyo, business unit president of Coca-Cola ASEAN; Guillermo Aponte, president and general manager of Coca-Cola Philippines; Adel Tamano, vice president of public affairs and communications of Coca-Cola Philippines; and Gilda Maquilan of the Sustainability and Women's Economic Empowerment.
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