Adapting to the challenges brought about by the limitations set because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc. moved its skills training from face-to-face to online. For 2 years now, trainings for SIFI scholars, mill workers, and planter associations were conducted either via Google Meet or Zoom.
Despite this drastic and unexpected change, SIFI continues to follow its mandate of leading its scholars and beneficiaries to empowerment and self-reliance. SIFI conducted a total of 7 skills training webinars for SIFI scholars all over the country as well as 1 webinar for planters’ association members from SIFI LMRO and VRO conduits for the months of December 2021 and January 2022.
SIFI conducted a webinar training in “Customer Service in the Sugar Industry” via Zoom with resource speaker Herman Santos, Manager of CONFED, and participated by 40 planter associations’ members as well as SIFI staff, last January 24, 2022. The training gave emphasis to the importance of having good quality customer service, answering customer questions quickly & effectively, resolving issues with empathy and care, and improving service and credibility amongst customers in the sugar industry.
SIFI also conducted trainings for scholars focusing on “Pre-Job Essentials & Board Exam Preparation for SIFI Graduating Scholars” with resource speaker Mera F. Ledesma, guidance counselor from Negros Occidental High School. The webinar focused on making the graduating scholars understand the significance and importance of being prepared in entering the professional world and facing the board exams.
Other trainings conducted were “Pursuing Online Entrepreneurship: Re-Discovering Your Career Passion” with resource speaker Ann Charyl Gallo, PhD, and “Rethinking / Time Management” with Maria Victoria G. Violanda, as well as “Webinar on Time Management: Keeping Student’s Productivity and Engagement in the New Normal” with Anita G. Abad, CSPHR, RGC. A total of 253 scholars participated in the webinars conducted via Google Meet and Zoom.
Since 1971, more than 73,000 recipients have received grants for college assistanceship and college scholarship, as well as high school grants and over 19,000 technical-vocational skills training beneficiaries since 1977.
