For SM Investments Corporation, building a strong team means preparing a skilled Filipino workforce ready to meet the demands of a fast-evolving, tech-driven economy.

“SM is able to function at its optimum because of the skills of our people. As our businesses continue to grow, so too is our need for more skilled and resilient professionals to add to our workforce. We shall continue to do our share to upskill and professionalize the Filipino workforce to make them competitive in the ever-evolving job market,” said Mr. Frederic C. DyBuncio, President and CEO of SM Investments.

SM Investments is aligned with the newly enacted Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) Framework. This law strengthens public-private collaboration in industry and education. It encourages apprenticeships and training programs driven by real market needs to equip Filipino workers with job-ready skills.

“Whether they work for us or even in other companies, we are committed to equipping them with the right tools, as we have been doing so with our investments in education through institutions like the National University and Asia-Pacific College, both non-profits and of course the SM Foundation, which has been graduating scholars for more than 40 years,” Mr. DyBuncio added.

Creating opportunities through education

SM Investments is one of the country’s largest job creators with over 142,000 employees in key sectors nationwide. Most roles involve sales, engineering, IT, and other STEM fields. SM’s vice chairperson, Teresita Sy-Coson, also sits on the Private Sector Advisory Council Education and Jobs group, a public-private partnership addressing employment gaps.

One result of this partnership is the J.O.B.S. (Job Opportunities Building Skills) program, which has hosted 244 job fairs across SM malls since 2024. These events have attracted over 8,000 employers and nearly 150,000 job seekers, leading to more than 20,000 hires on the spot.

Recently, BDO Unibank launched an accelerated hiring drive for IT and cybersecurity experts offering positions in project management, cloud technologies, security analysis, and customer relationship management.

Meanwhile, the SM Foundation Scholarship Program supports over 1,100 new scholars this year providing tuition, enrichment, internships, and career opportunities within the SM Group. The foundation has graduated more than 4,600 students since its inception.

Asia Pacific College, a partnership between SM Foundation and IBM Philippines, offers industry-based curricula that combine classroom learning with hands-on experience to produce highly employable IT professionals. Its Multimedia Arts program blends technology and creativity to meet industry demands with a 97.28 percent employment rate for 2024 graduates.

Another institution under SM, National University, which was acquired by SM in 2008, is expanding to reach 100,000 students by 2027. NU’s programs include forward-looking courses in digital forensics, machine learning, mobile and web applications, and multimedia arts.

Through these efforts, SM Investments is building a skilled, resilient workforce that will power its business and contribute to the country’s growth.