MORE than 2,100 students of De La Salle University and other schools of the De La Salle System will benefit from TECHPRE101: a unique teacher-training program developed by DLSU and Globe for the transfer of “technopreneurship” skills to science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and economics students, which incorporates business principles with social-innovation practices.
Beginning this school year 49 DLSU teachers across eight DLSU colleges, sister-schools and two DLS Higher Education Institutions will participate in the pilot program. These are DLSU’s College of Engineering, College of Science, College of Computer Studies and School of Economics; De La Salle University Integrated School; De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde; De La Salle-Lipa; University of St. La Salle-Bacolod; De La Salle University-Dasmariñas; La Salle University-Ozamiz City; and De La Salle-Araneta University.
Meanwhile, the DLS Higher Education Institutions (Senior High) are De La Salle-Santiago Zobel School and La Salle Greenhills.
Technopreneurship is a course mandated by the Commission on Higher Education for engineering degree programs, but other programs have adopted it as a regular or elective course. It will also be rolled out in one state university to be chosen by CHED.
“We believe in the importance of strengthening our teachers’ knowledge and skills in technopreneurship, [so they can] equip the work force of the future,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s chief sustainability officer and SVP for Corporate Communications. “Through this partnership with DLSU, we hope to help our teachers develop the youth’s interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, so that they can contribute to economic growth and create positive societal impact.”
In the said subject, students are taught to create a business model based on technological innovations to meet market needs and to productize the innovation from a technical and commercial standpoint.
The telco’s collaboration with DLSU aims to further enhance the teachers’ grasp of the subject by including topics such as mobile tech in entrepreneurship and 5G technology for the Internet of Things. It also brings out the entrepreneurial mindset of teachers through an idea and business-pitch competition.
The syllabus is a mix of application-focused online classes, mentorship through breakout sessions, and business development. Each class will spend 45 hours on the course over four months.
The 2,100 senior high school, undergraduate and graduate students who will take the course annually will translate into 600 teams being guided in business-plan preparation, with some 48 projects expected to qualify for incubation toward potential commercialization.
“We are fortunate that this TECHPRE101 teacher-training program has received the full support of Globe, driven by their advocacy to champion STEM education to advance 21st-century learning,” said Federico Gonzales, who is the executive director of DLSU’s Animo Labs Technology Business Incubator.
The telco has also launched the Globe Maker Lab and Innovation Hub—both designed to enhance the delivery of world-class STEM education to underprivileged K-12 students. They include a program for out-of-school youth and a teacher-training program to help public schools launch their own labs and hubs.
The program, in partnership with Mano Amiga, aims to spark interest as well as boost the knowledge and skills of students 10- to 13-years-old in STEM, and eventually help develop tomorrow’s work force. Mano Amiga is a school providing affordable, high-quality K-12 education to learners from low-income families.
