The country's number one finance super app, GCash, and largest convenience store chain in the world, 7-Eleven have recently sealed alliances with Mapúa Malayan Digital College or MMDC in a bid to create greater educational and career development opportunities for working students in the country.

The partnership between MMDC and 7-Eleven will lead to the creation of a scholarship program for non-graduate 7-Eleven employees.

Through the program, a number of the convenience store employees will be granted MMDC continuing education scholarships.

Each scholarship covers 100 percent of tuition fees and is valid for 45 units to be completed in two years.

Alongside the establishment of the scholarship program for working students, MMDC students can also explore internship and career opportunities at 7-Eleven.

"We believe that our people are the most important resource in our business. This partnership with MMDC is the latest milestone in our commitment to supporting the ambitions of our working student employees," said Violeta Apolinario, head of the Human Resources and Administration Division at 7-Eleven.

"As MMDC offers students convenience and flexibility, we encourage all 7-Eleven working student employees to enjoy the benefits of higher education for their long-term career development," she added.

Further, MMDC's Business Administration majors will use their expertise in operations management, marketing management, and human resource management to equip 7-Eleven employees with modern skills that are essential for career growth.

Preparing tomorrow's fintech workforce

Meanwhile, to encourage more young innovators to contribute towards nation-building, the partnership between MMDC and GCash opens up internship and employment opportunities for MMDC students.

Through the GCash Early Career Program, students can apply their knowledge in a real tech company as interns, with possible avenues for employment available upon graduation.

GCash will also explore faculty training sessions on new technologies and practices for MMDC instructors to apply in their classes.

"Partnerships with academic institutions are crucial to nurturing and developing young talent in tech. With digitalization continually impacting many industries around the world, we are delighted to join forces with MMDC to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed to become competitive and build careers in fintech," said Robert Conrad Gonzales, Chief People Officer at GCash.

"This collaborative effort helps ensure that students are firmly at the forefront of industry developments and ready for the challenges and opportunities within the evolving fintech landscape," Gonzales underlined.

MMDC's IT majors equip students to apply their expertise in software development, network and cybersecurity, and data analytics, offering significant benefits to various organizations.

"Since its inception, MMDC has always been passionate about creating opportunities for personal development and career success through education, along with our PPC model (projects, problems, and cases), which prepares our students to face real-world challenges," said Jenny Chua, vice president of Marketing, MMDC.