Ayala looks to acquire more schools

MANILA, Philippines —  Ayala Education Inc., the investment arm of conglomerate Ayala Corp. for the education sector, is looking to acquire more schools within the next 12 months as part of its growth strategy.

“We’re going to continue to make acquisitions. We’re actively looking. Hopefully, we can do it within the next 12 months,” said AEI chief executive officer Alfredo Ayala in a recent interview.

He said the company has been scouting for high schools all over the country.

“We are looking throughout the Philippines,” he said.

In 2015, AEI acquired a 60 percent stake in University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) in Camarines Sur, one of the leading universities in the Bicol region.

AEI’s acquisition amounted to P450 million, which allowed the company to hold the majority of UNC’s board seats.

UNC is recognized as one of the leading universities in the Bicol region, and has approximately 7,000 students.

The acquisition made UNC AEI’s flagship university and reinforces its plan to strengthen its presence in the academic field.

Ayala said the company wanted to get the formula right with UNC before making more acquisitions.

“We’ve been able to get the starting salary right,” he said, adding that their graduates are able to get a starting salary 30 to 50 percent higher than average because of the focus on English proficiency, IT, literary and critical thinking.

Ayala Corp. chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said as there is strong global demand for Filipino talent, the company plans to deliver high quality, affordable education that can significantly enhance the employability of graduates, through partnerships with regional leaders such as UNC.

The conglomerate’s latest investment in education is a continuation of its foray in the sector in 2012 through 100 percent owned AEI.

AEI’s vision is to deliver affordable and high quality education at the high school and college levels in order to equip students with real world skills through co-designing programs with prospective employers, and leveraging AEI’s extensive experience in services training, the group said.

The group has recognized the strong demand for Filipino talent from the IT-BPO and other service industries, such as banking, telecom, retail and tourism.

Its portfolio in education also includes pioneering senior high school since 2013 through its LINC (Learning with Industry Collaboration) Academy’s partnerships with Emilio Aguinaldo College and Arellano University.

Furthermore, AEI formed a majority-owned joint venture, Affordable Private Education Center (APEC) with Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, to build a chain of low-cost secondary schools that provide quality education with affordable annual school fees.

Since it started in 2013, APEC now has 16,000 students across  at least 27 schools in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite and Batangas.