MOBILE-services provider Smart Communications Inc. is the only Filipino company included on Fortune’s its list of 50 companies around the world that are creating “important social impact.”
The wireless subsidiary of PLDT Inc. placed 36th on Fortune’s second “Change the World” list, joining the ranks of global business giants, like GlaxoSmithKline, Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Unilever.
Smart is the only telco on the list.
The annual rankings aim to showcase the power of companies to improve the human condition by making an important social or environmental impact through their business strategy and operations.
Smart was particularly cited for its Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program (SWEEP), under which the company partners with colleges and universities to improve engineering and information-technology (IT) education in the country. The program, which was launched in 2003, also aims to help schools produce industry-ready graduates and future technology entrepreneurs.
“We are honored to be included in this prestigious global list, and are happy that Fortune recognizes Filipinos’ efforts to use technology for development,” Smart Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said.
“We thank our partner-schools for working hand in hand with us to provide quality engineering and IT education to Filipino students. We hope that by doing so, we are encouraging and equipping them to create innovations that will improve the lives of our countrymen,” he said.
Under the program, Smart provides schools with up-to-date telecommunications equipment, as well as hands-on trainings, seminars and internships. It also sits in annual curriculum reviews to provide inputs on industry trends, helping schools ensure that their course offerings are relevant.
To date, more than 30,000 teachers and students from all over the Philippines have directly benefitted from trainings organized by Smart. About 1,000 students from partner-schools have been hired into Smart’s technology group.