UREKA held its biggest leg ever of the E-Cadets Workshop in Cebu on December 1, 2017 at the University of San Carlos (Talamban Campus).

With 357 participants from fifteen pioneering colleges and universities of Cebu, the state-of-the-art venue Michael Richarts Center was filled to the rafters.

The E-Cadets Program – a vital component of the UREKA Forum, UnionBank’s flagship corporate social responsibility project that helps micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) launch their own e-Commerce business - seeks to train college students to expand their knowledge on Digital Commerce, Digital Marketing, Personal Branding, Facebook Ad Placement Marketing, Creating Effective Online Marketing Pitches, Challenges and Opportunities of e-Commerce in the Philippines, and Online Shop Set-up.

“We hope that by empowering you, you become our foot soldiers to put micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) businesses online,” said UREKA Executive Director James Ileto.

DTI’s Chief Trade and Development Specialist Minerva “Mimi” Yap told the students that part of its agency roadmap is to make 100,000 businesses utilize e-Commerce to widen market base and make their companies grow and be hugely successful.

Other special guests who graced the event were USC’s Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rev. Fr. Roger Bag-ao, SVD; Project Lead of the Carolinian Bridges – USC SEO Tech Hub, Dr. Angelo Cabije; and Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Senior Program Officer, Elisabeth Baumgart.

Air21 Global’s Business Development Head Mark Joseph Panganiban talked about the challenges and opportunities of e-Commerce in the country, noting that common challenges of e-Commerce include lack of knowledge on how online MSMEs work.

Teaching the students how to create an effective online marketing pitch, Facebook ad placement marketing, and digital strategies were also discussed by e-Commerce Specialist, Eireen Diokno-Bernardo.

Schools that joined the workshop include University of San Carlos, University of San Jose-Recoletos, Cebu Institute of Technology, University of Cebu, Datamex Institute of Computer Technology, Benedicto College, Informatics Institute, La Consolacion College, Saint Theresa’s College, Saint Paul College Foundation, Asian College of Technology, Cebu Eastern College, University of the Philippines, Tisa National Highschool, and STI Cebu.

This project is in line with the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) mandate to deliver 100,000 MSMEs into e-Commerce by 2020 and, at the same time, also helps students to sustain a viable source of income in the future.

UnionBank’s key partners for the event were the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) and the University of San Carlos (USC).

Meanwhile, the UREKA Consortium Partners compose of Air21, AMTI, DragonPay, Esquire Financing Inc., Facebook Asia-Pacific, Microsoft Philippines, PanahonTV, PLDT SME Nation, SHOPINAS and Taxumo.

To learn more about Ureka, visit www.urekaforum.ph