THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced it has tapped Amazon Web Services (AWS) Inc. to provide “cutting-edge” digital services and solutions to budding Filipino entrepreneurs and innovators.
The Trade department said the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aims to provide training workshops to upskill and reskill the Filipino workforce, help Filipino entrepreneurs and innovators adopt digital technologies to increase productivity and competitiveness, and collaborate with key public and private stakeholders to promote innovation and digital transformation in the country.
Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual lauded the “formalization” of the agreement and emphasized that “it is critical to forge partnerships with leading global innovators that would promote innovation among Philippine businesses and “accelerate” their adoption of digital technologies.”
In line with this, the Trade chief noted that encouraging research and development, innovation, and enhancing the digital economy can help meet government’s medium-term socio-economic agenda.
By collaborating with AWS, the DTI said it aims to leverage the multinational firm’s cloud capabilities, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), to fast-track innovation in the Philippines.
Julian Lau, head of AWS Asean Emerging Markets, Worldwide Public Sector, said they “believe the cloud can help unlock more opportunities for Filipino businesses and public sector organizations to deliver better outcomes for citizens and strengthen the country’s global competitiveness.”
Lau said they are “honored” to support the DTI to modernize Philippine industries by training up a digitally skilled workforce and helping local businesses harness the power of the cloud to “accelerate innovation.”
In line with this, DTI unveiled its recommendation to prepare the Philippines for the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 as the agency also aims to help accelerate the digital economy.
“It will be crucial to develop a digitally-trained workforce so they can be equipped to leverage cloud technology to drive innovation,” a statement by DTI issued last Thursday read.
The Trade department said the deal with AWS requires conducting training workshops for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and startups and public sector agencies.
“Individual learners and education institutions in the Philippines will also be able to access AWS’s up-skilling programs,” the DTI said.
The Trade department will also leverage AWS programs to back the small merchants and startups to innovate.
“Through the MOU, MSMEs and startups will benefit from access to [AWS’s] programs, which provide credits, technical support, and training to help startups scale their growth,” the DTI said.
The agency said it would further explore collaborations in the promotion and responsible adoption of AI in the Philippines.