200 STEM students join IBM bootcamp

CEBU, Philippines — About 200 senior high school students in Cebu are expected to design solutions to address climate change.

These students are senior high school enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand who will undergo a three-month bootcamp with IBM Philippines mentor volunteers in Cebu.

The students will develop their ideas for their application proposal that can help solve Cebu’s pressing environment.

The bootcamp is part of the Skills Build program that aims to help primary and secondary students learn about today’s technologies.

These students are selected from the six public schools in Cebu City.

Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has been urging the senior high entrants to consider taking the STEM strand to improve innovation edge of the Philippines.

DICT undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim reiterated the need for the Philippines to produce more quality engineers and innovators.

IBM Philippines president and country manager Aileen Judan-Jiao said it is important for the country to produce relevant workforces especially in today’s digital age.

She however said it is not enough to produce talents who have tech skills, they must also need to excel in soft skills areas.

Soft skills are the character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's relationships with other people.

The STEM strand will help students to polish their skills in the innovation and creative side, which will not only give them promising future for employment, but also allows these students to start their own entrepreneurial journey in the digital economy.

The pitching will be held on February 2019.

The bootcamp is spearheaded by IBM Corporate Citizenship, IBM’s corporate social responsibility business unit.