51Talk recently held a virtual partners’ appreciation and thanksgiving program to recognize its partners for another fruitful year in empowering Filipinos through online livelihood opportunities. With the theme “Creating Opportunities for Filipinos Together,” the annual event also saw partners from the government, the academe, industry and job portals expressing their commitment to continue rolling out programs and projects that will help uplift the lives of Filipinos by maximizing their skills and potentials as digital netizens in the present digital age.
Participants of the event included partners from the government such as the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the City Government of Bacoor represented by its City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla; school and university partners National Teachers College, Bulacan State University, Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Don Honorio Velez State University and AMA Online Education; and industry partners SMART-PLDT, Philippine Airlines, Bossjob and Mynimo.
With the current situation this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online livelihood and remote work have never been more in demand and important. 51Talk, being the biggest online English teaching platform with more than 20,000 Filipino home-based teachers, announced the need for 30,000 more to join the platform. 51Talk’s partners, on the other hand, offered its resources, technology and facilities, to reach out to more Filipinos and spread the word about the earning opportunities and benefits of being a home-based online English teacher.
“Through the years, 51Talk has always sought partners from the academe, industry, and the government to achieve its goal of empowering qualified Filipinos through online teaching opportunities. We knew and understood from the start that there is a big task ahead of us and we simply can’t do it alone,” said 51Talk Country Head Jennifer Que.
“Because of our partners’ support to 51Talk’s campaigns and initiatives, we were able to provide online teaching opportunities to thousands of Filipinos. The effects, especially in rural areas, have a far-reaching and tangible socio-economic impact that helps improve lives, families, and communities,” she added.
Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla, a long-time supporter of 51Talk, thanked the platform for extending opportunities to her constituents to earn at home throughout the pandemic.
“We thank 51Talk for this continuous partnership. So far we have over fifty beneficiaries of 51Talk in the City of Bacoor and we look forward to adding more, especially for the displaced teachers working in private schools,” shared the local government head.
“It is really an opportune time and we truly have to work hand in hand as we face this new normal together,” she added. “We look forward to increasing the online teachers in the City of Bacoor. The City of Bacoor salutes you.”
The Department of Information and Communications Technology, another long-time partner of 51Talk, showed strong support with the participation of its regional directors.
DICT Mindanao Cluster 1, represented by Regional Director Maria Teresa Camba, won an international award through its programs implemented in partnership with 51Talk “We at DICT Mindanao Cluster 1 are grateful to 51Talk for the online opportunities made available to the countryside, particularly the Zamboanga Peninsula, and the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. Our hub serves the online English teachers here in Zamboanga, 24/7,” explained Regional Director Camba.
Since it became operational in the Philippines, 51Talk has been spearheading programs and projects together with its government and industry partners to shift the mindset of Filipinos to become more open about online, home-based livelihood such as being an online English teacher. Through 51Talk and DICT’s partnership, qualified teachers could get a headstart in their online teaching journey through the DigitalJobsPH training program and with the use of DICT Tech4Ed centers.
51Talk has also been very active with its school and university partners this year by conducting upskilling training and webinars, and co-developing modules that help equip students, faculty and alumni to become effective online teachers.
Dean Mark Anthony Velasco of The National Teachers College (NTC) said they look forward to reinforcing their programs and providing quality initiatives for their students and stakeholders.
“On behalf of NTC, I’d like to express our gratitude for the opportunities you have provided for our students and alumni. Behind this, we cannot neglect to continue our partnership as this is providing more and more opportunities to our stakeholders. We also recognize that as NTC is transitioning to a more industry-academe partnership, our collaboration will bring our students and stakeholders to transcend. I’d like to extend many more years of working with you,” said Dean Velasco.
51Talk’s industry and job portal partners helped attract qualified applicants to become online English teachers through their apps and websites. These portals have been instrumental in helping 51Talk achieve its goal to have 100,000 home-based online teachers on the platform in the next few years.
“I want to thank our partners for supporting and keeping 51Talk in mind as they expand their influence,” said Ms. Que towards the end of the program. “Through these partnerships, we have achieved a win-win-win outcome and the biggest winner of all are the teachers who are able to earn safely from home with a noble and stable livelihood. The future is uncertain but one thing’s for sure, we will keep working hard to create more opportunities for Filipinos in 2021 and I enjoin our partners to do the same,” added Ms. Que.
