DTI CTRL+BIZ 2.0: ON THE TRACKS TO SUCCESS

by: Dani Marcelino, Thames Undergraduate Student

Last December 11, 2020, “DTI CTRL BIZ 2.0” ended with another success following the first phase held in May that year. As the product of a partnership between the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Thames International, the series of free webinars aimed to help the owners of medium, small, and micro enterprises (MSMEs) thrive in the e-commerce environment.

In response to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, businesses had to rapidly shift online. Many micro, small, and middle-scale businesses were caught unprepared by the demands of the digital world and e-commerce. The solution was the DTI and Thames International’s “DTI CTRL BIZ 2.0” webinar.

The webinar itself was divided into two tracks – Track A and Track B – with industry professionals delivering their material through Thames’ tried and tested online educational platform.

The first, Track A, was a management certificate training program entitled “Foundational and Entrepreneurial Skills for Online Enterprises” (FESOEs) and was implemented from November 18 to 27. As the name suggests, it introduced the participants to various online entrepreneurial skills – including but not limited to key concepts in leadership, principles in digital marketing, and effective sales techniques.

According to one of the participants, Elain M. Pangan, it was “a very informative and practical foundational course.” She further added that “it highlights my areas for improvement as an entrepreneur and what our company needs in order to thrive in this new digital age.”

A participant, Eliodoro y Alcya Jr., praised the platform, saying that the learning management system “makes it more flexible and a great follow up to reinforce what we learned in synchronous sessions.”

The program concluded with a satisfaction rating of 95.2% among the 1322 participants. MSME owners learned skills such as the application of true marketing-based approach to their businesses, basic principles of productions and operations to improve efficiency and maintain quality, applying the business model approach and incorporating risk analysis to their business, creative thinking tools to provide solutions to various business problems while taking ethical and sustainability factors into consideration, and negotiating techniques and tools to improve networking and building business relationships.

The second, Track B, was entitled “Digital Skills” (DS) and was implemented from November 28 to 27. Track B introduced participants to digital skills essential in flourishing in the e-commerce environment, including basic web design, audio-video production and vlogging concepts, creative and graphic design, search engine optimization, branding and public relations on application to online initiatives, and the effective utilisation of social media through advertising and building content.

Dino Angelo B. Obed, a participant, commented that “the course on digital skills will help our company vastly in pivoting to digital commerce, thereby, adapting to the new business environment triggered by COVID-19.”

An attendee, Arianne F. Abear, praised the program, saying, “I personally felt that this program from DTI and Thames for the MSME entreps was a great help and made a difference for those starting up, especially at this time.”

In a survey conducted among all 858 participants of Track B, a satisfaction rating of 96.6% had garnered positive feedback from most participants, noting that they found the program to be worth their time.

As with the success of the webinar’s predecessor, “DTI CTRL BIZ 2.0” had yet again proved Thames International’s capability in its field, granting opportunities to MSME business owners to excel in the industry with an expertly delivered program and guaranteeing substance through ease of learning. Thames International’s success with the webinars are points to bigger things to come.

Thames is committed to helping in nation-building through providing necessary training for schools and other organizations that need further help in adjusting to the new demands of the new normal. For any inquiries on this matter, feel free to contact the school via inquire@thames.edu.ph.