IBM Philippines, in collaboration with PBSP, launched the second year of its IBM SkillsBuild program for School Year 2024-2025, reaching over 3,500 Filipino learners through a series of educational caravans across Manila, Pasay, and Baguio.

Targeting Grade 11 and 12 senior high school students from various academic strands, the initiative champions IBM SkillsBuild–a free, skills-based online learning platform offering a wide range of industry-recognized courses. These courses and other learning activities span from introductory to in-depth lessons on information and communications technology (ICT), digital tools, personal development, and workplace readiness.

The second-year rollout officially began with a four-day caravan at the Philippine College of Arts and Advanced Technology (PCAAT) in Manila, held on May 9-10 and May 16-17, 2024. This was followed by a one-day caravan at Pasay City South High School on September 20, 2024. The program culminated for the last school year with a four-day caravan from December 10 to 13, 2024, conducted across seven schools in Baguio: Baguio City National High School, Doña Aurora National High School, San Vicente National High School, Pines City National High School, Rizal National High School, Irisan National High School, and Baguio City National Science High School.

A highlight of the Baguio caravan was a special session held on December 10, 2024, where IBM Philippines President and Country General Manager Aileen Judan-Jiao joined Grade 12 students for an inspiring dialogue on the careers of the future. She emphasized how young people can harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to strengthen their skillsets and stay agile in the face of a rapidly changing world. Her message underscored the importance of being future-ready and open to continuous learning in an increasingly digital landscape.

Each IBM SkillsBuild caravan served as a dedicated career development session, particularly valuable for Grade 12 students preparing for their Work Immersion subject—a requirement involving hands-on training or simulated work experiences aligned with their academic strands. Through the IBM SkillsBuild sessions, participating students embarked on the Professional Skills Learning Plan, a five-course online program designed to deliver engaging learning activities and assessments. All new learners received digital certificates upon course completion, along with lifetime access to the IBM SkillsBuild platform.