METRO MANILA – The SFI Group of Companies roused participants’ interest at the 39th annual Convention Workshop of the Career Development Association of the Philippines (CDAP) at the Hotel Benilde Maison De La Salle in Manila last 26th to 27th January 2017.
SFI Group President and CEO Luis Alberto A. Anastacio delivered the keynote speech with respect to the theme “Riding the wave of change: Responding to career development issues and challenges.” It focused on developing and implementing evidence-based and collaboration-based career guidance services for out-of-school youths (OSYs), students, trainees, and the employed and unemployed.
Mr. Anastacio highlighted the importance of augmenting the ranks of registered guidance counselors (RGCs) and career advocates to meet the requirements of the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9258), ensuring broader-reaching provision of relevant and up-to-date career development services to a workforce struggling with skills gap and mismatch.
Advocacies and partnerships of the SFI Group were presented as potential components to the nation’s career guidance solutions. The Accredited Career and Talent Development Professional (ACTDP) of the Suzhou Success Partners Management Consulting Co., Ltd., a link with the Institute of Career Certification International (ICCI), an alliance with Kuder Visions Unlimited and the SFI Group’s complete Career Development program were proposed as measures to build career guidance capacity and expertise, facilitate online career discovery management for children, students and adults, and empower individuals seeking career, talent and transition management services.
These advocacies were based on the successes of the SFI Group’s workforce development actions such as the ACT Efficacy Study, collaboration with the Depertment of Labor and Employment’s JobStart Apprenticeship Program and the Philippine TalentMap Initiative (PTMI).
By the end of his piece, Mr. Anastacio encouraged the different stakeholders to explore and maximize the aforementioned measures that the SFI Group had accomplished up to the present with support from the partnerships and collaborations built throughout its history. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together…together we can achieve more,” he said, citing an African proverb as part of his call to action for the audience.
Mr. Anastacio’s speech elicited responses from the panel of reactors. Dr. Carmelita Pabiton, RGC, of the Professional Regulatory Commission – Board for Guidance and Counseling supported Mr. Anastacio’s contentions and discussed the in-depth implications to career guidance in the K-12 curriculum. Concordia College Vice President for Academics Teresa Ang, RGC and Philippine Business for Education Executive Director Love Basillote, MAEd likewise gave their insights regarding the keynote speech, citing opportunities to situate career development practices and identifying the labor market information’s implications in the academe and industry settings.
SFI Career Center’s Senior Career Coach and Senior Program Officer Richard P. Monteverde, RGC facilitated the first afternoon session of the conference, discussing the the implications of Philippine Talent Map Initiative (PTMI) in the Career Readiness of the 21st century workforce. Suzhou Success Partners founder and chairman Dr. Brian Schwartz provided specifics on the the proposed ACTDP capacity building and ICCI certification programs for career development practitioners and for professionals who would like to practice career development in the country. Together with Mr. Anastacio who also provided input, the three speakers rounded up the afternoon session of Day 1.
PTMI Head and SFI Group VP for Sourcing and Recruitment Ms. Patricia Acepcion joined the three speakers as she facilitated a question and answer portion of the session.
Present at the conference were Professional Regulatory Commission Board for Guidance and Counseling chair Dr. Luzviminda Guzman, CDAP founding president and Career Systems, Inc. president Dr. Josefina Santamaria, CDAP board member Sonia Mendoza, incumbent CDAP President Maria Juanita Jose, and incumbent CDAP Vice President Jose Alejo.
The SFI Group’s international partners such as Dr. Schwartz and Kuder Visions Unlimited’s Vice President for International Client Engagement Bailey Rowell were also there to lend support. Mr. Rowell’s delegation included International Relationship Development Professional Patrick Bourgeacq Pinzón and International Business Development Associate Kelvin Tan.
SFI Career Center’s Director Gina Jusay, Career Coach/Program Specialist Abigail Coladilla, and Career Coach/Program Associate Erick Atilano facilitated delegates’ inquiries regarding SFI Group’s advocacies at the SFI Group booth for the duration of the two-day event.