CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Angeles City, (PNA) — Three Philippine universities are participating in the internship and scholarship program for students or professionals across the region, as the country and 20 other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members are working toward realizing their target of one million intra-APEC university-level students annually by 2020.
In a press briefing after the conclusion here of the first APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) on Saturday, SOM Chair Ambassador Laura Del Rosario said these are the University of San Carlos, Miriam College and Silliman University.
She said the Bicol University has also indicated interest to participate in the APEC Scholarship Initiative.
Secretary of State of the United States John F. Kerry is leading the Initiative’s development.
“We are targeting actually one million APEC students to be roaming around the region within five years until by 2020. We hope that 200,000 students (per year) will move around APEC and enroll within that because we are trying to create a critical mass of APEC knowledgeable future leaders,” Del Rosario said.
She added the 21-member APEC economies are promoting more the scholarship initiative across the region in a bid to advance one of the APEC priorities for this year which is investing in human capital development.
“These scholarships will be there so that at least it can improve the human capital development in the region,” Del Rosario said, noting that APEC economies are actually education providers.
“We are talking about the people-to-people connectivity here… For APEC, it is more of just to have a group of knowledgeable citizens and future graduates who know how to work with an APEC system,” she added.
The APEC Scholarship Initiative was introduced during a meeting of APEC Trade Ministers in Qingdao, China last May and endorsed by the region’s Leaders in November in Beijing.
Universities and companies interested in sponsoring an undergraduate or graduate-level scholarship, or an internship or training program for a student or professional, can inquire with participating APEC economies.(PNA)