Porsche PH trains Porsche AG apprentices

Whenever the topic of globalization is brought up, we often hear key concepts and ideas such as “global village,” “free markets,” “tax-free,” “boundary-less flow of goods,” “services,” “ideas” and “information.” Sounds all fine and dandy in principle, but these concepts are never as simple as they seem.

However, there is one crucial ingredient that should remain untaxed, readily accessed, and always up-to-date: knowledge.

This sharing of knowledge, know-how and information is what will truly propel our global village to grow, to stabilize, to  improve and to move forward together.

Knowledge and information, when harnessed properly, can diminish the social divide between rich and poor, and between Third World nations and industrialized societies.

Yes, knowledge and information can help eradicate poverty, hunger, fear and chaos worldwide.

The automotive industry, in its own little way, is helping spread knowledge and information. We have the Porsche Training and Recruitment Center Asia (PTRCA), the first of its kind outside of Germany, which has produced 151 graduates, with 16 more graduating this November.

We also have the Toyota Motors Philippines Corp.’s School of Technology in Sta. Rosa, which recently had its first batch of 110 students graduate

—a very small number that’s set to grow exponentially over the coming years as Toyota Motors Philippines pushes its programs to increase in size and scope.

Palawan Gov. Jose CH. Alvarez’s pet project, the JCA Technology Complex in Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, brings BMW’s latest technological training programs to students of the region.

To date, a handful of graduates from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan who went through the JCA Technology program are already employed by Asian Carmakers Corp., BMW’s local distributor and and ACC’s BMW partner dealerships nationwide, according to BMW marketing and sales boss Karl Magsuci.

This number is also set to increase as more and more students take part in the technical programs offered by the BMW AG-backed program, which not only supplies technical training, but also the latest in BMW’s equipment for students to experience how the pros in Germany do it.

This is the sort of technology transfer we need: education, specifically for the masses. The best-trained Filipinos also make the best exports to other countries because, let’s face it, Filipinos have a competitive edge in Asean, thanks to our dual-language medium of instruction in school.

We are resilient and very adaptive even in the most extreme of environments. (I’ve met a bunch of Filipinos in Iceland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, Singapore, China, Malaysia. You name it, we’re there!)

The more educated, talented and knowledgeable Filipinos that we produce, the more we secure our future, diminish social divide and bring about greater progress for our society.

Interestingly, Porsche AG recently sent a few of its apprentices to Porsche Center Philippines-PGA Cars to learn a few things.

It’s a reverse situation: We’re teaching foreigners how our side of the world ticks as compared to theirs, and our unique conditions which are often unencountered elsewhere.

According to Porsche Philippines managing director Roberto Coyiuto III, the country, along with the rest of the Asean region, is unique in its road, weather and market conditions.

We’re a booming growth market, and Porsche AG sees the need to understand our region better, and because the Philippines sits at the gateway of the Asean.

Says Coyiuto III: “I am proud that Porsche Philippines has been chosen as a training ground not only for the underprivileged scholars of the PTRCA but also for the apprentices of Porsche AG.

“These apprentices have been sent to the Philippines after completing their training in Zuffenhausen and Leipzig to learn additional skills prior to becoming a regular associate of Porsche AG.

“Their training here is vital in acquiring technical market-specific conditions such as weather and terrain. All our technical experts have been internationally trained and most are already bronze, silver and gold level mechatronics.”

It’s interesting how this time, it is us Filipinos who are sharing know-how to our foreign counterparts, particularly in dealing with technical matters on a vehicle, like in aftersales servicing and issues which, given the growing sales of luxury vehicles not just in the Philippines but throughout the Asean region, will become even more important and integral in many of these luxury-brand manufacturers in the future.

From an aftersales service issue, many of these concerns will hopefully filter down to the R&D and manufacturing departments, which should further improve Porsche vehicles that will be sold all over the world, particularly in the Asean region.

I hope we have more technology transfer opportunities not only with other car manufacturers, but with other industries as well. As our industry grows and becomes more connected to other industries as well as other economies throughout the Asean region, we need more highly trained, highly skilled, competent and confident Filipino professionals who are world-class.