UP ISSI, APO spearhead Technical Expert Program on AI, Entrepreneurship
QUEZON CITY, Philippines – Through the Asian Productivity Organization Technical Expert Services Program, the APO in cooperation with the University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI) and the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) conducted a training entitled “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence for Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education” on July 22-26, 2024.
With a total of 19 participants, the program aims to equip the research, extension, and professional staff (REPS) of the UP ISSI and young entrepreneurs with the necessary knowledge and tools to leverage AI for business innovation which can enhance productivity and competitiveness. The first day of the program was also attended by the APO Liaison Officer for the Philippines – Mr. A. Tristan Suratos and Mr. Lito Legaspi from the APO / DAP Secretariat Team.
Mr. Sanket Waykar, subject matter expert on Artificial Intelligence served as the resource person and shared his knowledge and expertise in the field.
“The programs, fundamentals, and tools he taught will be beneficial not only in mentoring our MSME partners, but also can be used in enhancing the productivity in the workspace,” said Joanna Rose T. Laddaran, Head of Program Development and External Affairs Cluster of the UP ISSI Training and Entrepreneurship Education Division and the Program Manager/Facilitator of the training.
Moreover, the training is in line with the APO’s goals of fostering robust innovation ecosystems and ensuring inclusive engagement, as well as the APO’s commitment to innovation-led productivity growth and is part of a larger effort to enhance technological capabilities in member economies.
In addition, the project is a follow-up activity from the APO programs attended by UP ISSI REPS including the ‘Workshop on Supporting Youth in Entrepreneurship’ of Ms. Laddaran held in Seoul, Republic of Korea (2023), ‘Development of Productivity Practitioners among the Youth’ (online) (2023) of Mx. Jake Villanueva, and ‘Workshop on Innovative Business Models for Industry 4.0’ (online) (2021) of TEED Division Head Mr. Rolando Ramon C. Diaz.