DepEd, DTI, Thames sign e-commerce job immersion agreement for high school students

Senior high school (SHS) students have a chance to gain a competitive edge in the growing e-commerce industry as the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Thames International signed a memorandum of understanding (MOA) on Thursday, August 1, aimed at equipping students with essential industry skills.

(From left) Education Secretary Juan Edgardo

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership because supporting Filipino educational opportunities is one of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s top priorities.

“I’m really, really happy today. (Thames International co-founder and CEO) Jaime Noel Santos mentioned that the president’s main order is to provide jobs, to give hope to our youth. And before we can give them jobs, we have to give them experience,” Angara said.

The DepEd Secretary also stressed the government’s commitment to providing Filipino students with employment and development opportunities.

“We commend Secretary Sonny Angara for his visionary leadership in education, making this project one of the priority programs at the beginning of his term. His support for the development of digital skills aligns perfectly with our goals,” said then-DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual.

Thames International, a pioneer in e-commerce education, has developed a specialist SHS curriculum that has been piloted in 15 schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The programme will be rolled out across the country in phases, starting with NCR, Regions 3 and 4-A, then Regions 7 and 11, and ultimately covering the entire country.

“This project has been three years in the making. We started it during the pandemic, based on the supply and demand philosophy. The e-commerce industry was growing so fast and there was a shortage of workers,” Santos said, adding that unlike traditional academic tracks like accounting, business and management (ABM) or science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the new program will give students hands-on experience and exposure to the industry.