Reiterating its commitment for strengthened collaboration between the academe and private sector, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Southern Mindanao Business Council (ECCP-SMBC) launched an education committee last Tuesday to provide its school members a platform to exchange ideas on education issues and development as well as promote institutional partnerships between higher educational institutions (HEIs) and enterprises.

The latest move follows several education/training initiatives that the Chamber has undertaken to address the needs of industry such as the “English is Cool” program which was aimed at raising the English proficiency of Filipinos for call center jobs, the adoption of the German Dual Training model at the university level to promote practical skills development and now known as the Applied Corporate Management Program of the De La Salle University, the creation of an Academe-Industry Consortium (AGDCICON) in Cebu to promote collaboration between companies and universities,  among others.