We read about the need to future-proof industries and businesses. Along with this, we also hear about how the jobs of the future will change and that the country's workforce has to change with it. Calls for upskilling on the latest developments in artificial intelligence and similar technologies are also all around — coming from the private sector, the government, as well as the workers themselves.
While those who have access to learning and training opportunities can readily take part in various available programs, there remains a large resource that remains untapped: women. Why? There are more women who are unemployed compared to men in the Philippines, and the reason for this is not because they cannot get jobs, but because they choose not to work so they can focus on taking care of their children, or the elderly, or the sick.
Most of these women opt to leave their careers and jobs — some of whom may have been thriving in their respective fields — to take on caregiving responsibilities. A NEDA study attributed low labor participation to "multidimensional factors including stereotyped gender roles that assign women to domestic and reproductive roles and men to economic and productive roles" and "lack of access by women to skills training for virtual jobs and e-commerce that are more compatible with domestic responsibilities."
Others may not have had a chance to work at all even after finishing a vocational or college degree, all because no one else can take care of domestic responsibilities.
Connected Women's flagship programs
Connected Women's first flagship program called Elevate Artificial Intelligence Data Annotation (AIDA) prioritizes women who fit this bill as well as those coming from disadvantaged sectors, such as those with limited access to economic opportunities, women with disabilities, and senior citizens.
A 2023 survey of AIDA graduates showed that over 38 percent are full-time mothers who are looking for work-from-home opportunities. It is also important to note that 45 percent finished college. To date, Elevate AIDA has trained 1,070 women in basic data annotation skills and remote work.
This year, Connected Women launched Elevate Generative AI Learning (GAIL), another flagship program that aims to upskill women freelancers, professionals and entrepreneurs on generative AI tools and technologies.
With generative AI fast-becoming a technology one cannot live without, it is significant for women to learn so that they can determine its uses and relevance to their lives.
Women in AI at Scale
Both programs also help address, albeit on a smaller scale, the persistent gender gap in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. According to the UN 2022 Progress report on SDG 5: Gender Equality, only 20 percent of jobs in STEM are held by women. It is important to note that the Philippines has the widest gender gap in the STEM field, with only 3 out of 10 in the workforce being women.
What is unique to the AIDA program is how it provides work-from-home job opportunities to its graduates, through the different data annotation projects managed by Connected Women. Clients who are in need of data preprocessing and data annotation for their artificial intelligence projects approach Connected Women to provide these services. And the program's uniquely trained women graduates power these services.
In the recently released Philippine Skills Framework for Analytics and Artificial Intelligence by the Department of ICT, developed in collaboration with the Analytics Association of the Philippines, a Career and Skills Map for aspiring Data Analytics and AI professionals is carefully outlined.
It is clear that the framework covers careers in highly technical areas such as business intelligence, data stewardship, data engineering, data science, applied data/AI research, and AI engineering. It also places emphasis on Functional Skills that can only be learned in a formal education environment in the STEM fields.
However, taking a closer look at the broader competencies that fall under Enabling Skills, these skills support and enhance the application of functional skills. Relating it to the AIDA skills framework, most of these skills (critical thinking, effective communication, collaboration and teamwork, problem solving) are already being taught to the women during the training, upskilling and actual annotation jobs.
Bringing women into the digital economy is a tall order, and one that Connected Women cannot do alone. Working with client partners such as ScaleHub, a 2024 Global Impact Sourcing Award winner. ScaleHub, through its "collective intelligence solution" for its clients, is able to provide jobs for AIDA graduates, "who are the "human" intelligence that closes the gap on what artificial intelligence (AI) cannot do alone." Through their service, their clients "open up opportunities for people underrepresented in the global workforce."
"At Connected Women, we believe that empowering women through upskilling in AI is not just about bridging the gender gap in STEM but also about unlocking a vast, untapped resource for the digital economy. By providing flexible, work-from-home opportunities, we enable women to balance their caregiving responsibilities while contributing significantly to the AI industry.
Our programs like Elevate AIDA and GAIL are designed to equip women with the essential skills needed to thrive in the future workforce, ensuring that they are active participants in shaping the technological landscape," says Agnes Gervacio, CEO of Connected Women.
Source: Manila Times
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