Accenture Philippines, TESDA and nongovernment organization (NGOs) have reaffirmed commitment in the Skills to Succeed Academy learning platform and reported that the number of learners has reached more than 145,000.
The government and various industry sectors in the Philippines have underscored the need to upskill the Filipino workforce and build training partnerships to answer the growing demand for a more efficient workforce.
One of the key initiatives that aim to help equip young Filipinos with job skills is the Skills to Succeed Academy or S2S Academy (https://s2sacademy.com/), which was launched by Accenture, TESDA and several NGOs in 2018. The S2S is an online learning platform driven by the country’s need to ‘strengthen human capital’ through quality education and upskilling in its recent workforce report.
Part of Accenture’s continuing commitment to build the future talent in the Philippines through digital upskilling, the Accenture S2S Academy offers free online learning courses on soft skills and confidence-building to help young Filipinos gain the skills needed to get a job.
The academy offers the following: Over 100 interactive, bitesize modules that include: how to identify your transferable skills, create a great resume, stand out in an interview, and build a professional online presence; Relevant, realistic training featuring relatable characters; Innovative simulations that allow learners to try out real life work scenarios (e.g., a job interview or the first day in a new job) and to experience the impact of decisions; A simple online pre-assessment that generates a personalized learning curriculum based on learner needs; and a New Skills Now curriculum which focuses on developing the learner’s essential skills for them to be future-ready.
Further, the academy also focuses on Emotional Intelligence Course which is expected to help people learn about strategies for managing emotions, coping with stress, and communicating effectively, which are key elements of working with others.
The modules under this course include Emotional Self-Regulation, Self-Regulation Scenarios, Grounding Exercises, Knowing Your Audience, Active Listening and Managing Conflict
A Technology at Work course meanwhile is seen to improve digital literacy with an introduction to computers and the internet, and how they are used in the workplace and has modules covering Computer Basics, Internet Basics, Hardware and Software, Email Basics
Improvements to the S2S Academy website and its modules were made to improve experience of learners from diverse backgrounds and abilities.
The S2S Academy platform adhered to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which explains how to make web content more accessible for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The S2S Academy is compatible with multiple screen readers. Learners can use NVDA, TalkBack, VoiceOver, and JAWS with the site’s supported browsers on desktop. A screen reader will announce the title of each page and then wait for the learner to explore the content.
Learners who use the keyboard-only navigation without a screen reader for mobility reasons should press Tab and Shift+Tab to move from one iterative object to another on the page. Since keyboard-only users can see text and images, they can then press Enter or Spacebar to activate an item. “Talent upskilling has always been a focus for Accenture Philippines. We believe in the importance of equipping the Filipino talent with the right skills through technology-enablement programs like the S2S Academy. This is part of our commitment as a responsible business, as we strive to create value and a meaningful impact among our learners with the help our partner organizations. By doing so, we are able to help the Filipino youth kick-start their career journeys and achieve the goals they have set out for themselves,” Lito Tayag, country managing director, at Accenture Philippines, said.
