SAS strengthens ties with academe, partners with Mapua, Malayan High School of Science

The partnership between SAS and the Mapua Institute of Technology was signed recently at the MIT campus in Makati City. Standing (L-R): Malayan High School of Science Principal Dr. Efren Mateo (white barong), MIT Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Bonifacio T. Doma Jr., and SAS Account Manager - Academe Marianne Decena. Seated (L-R): MIT School of Information and Technology Associate Dean Nilda Eliquen, MIT and Malayan School of Science President Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, SAS Regional Director – Pacific Sonny Halili, and SAS Country Operations Director Maxie Ventura-Garin.

MANILA, Philippines–Business analytics leader SAS is partnering with Mapua Institute of Technology in bridging the gap between academia and business to offer IT courses designed to enable students gain useful insight and competitive value out of the dynamic domain of business intelligence and analytics.

The partnership is forged under the SAS Global Academic Program, which fosters career development by providing students and faculty with SAS analytic skills and real-world experience that are in great demand in the competitive marketplace.

The program provides practical support and insight to the academic world, and brings a range of benefits to university staff and students. SAS works closely with faculty, students, researchers, and other education leaders on innovative collaborations and is committed to delivering comprehensive programs for diverse disciplines such as science, technology, medicine, business, marketing, finance, economics, agriculture, the environment, and social sciences, among others.

Mapua will initially offer the SAS Specialization Track to third year students in the School of Information & Technology. The course includes a set of modules that will teach students on how to make effective business decisions, systematic planning, and accurate predictions by using cutting-edge analytical strategies, methods and processes. The curriculum was co-developed by Mapua and SAS.

The student will receive a “Certificate of Completion” after finishing the course. The student may opt to pursue professional SAS certification in specific tracks.

“Mapua recognizes the growing need for students to be equipped with competitive knowledge in the fields of business intelligence and analytics, especially in today’s modern business environment,” said Mapua president Dr. Reynaldo Vea. “We believe that the course that we have developed through SAS will help our graduates acquire skills that will make them more employable.”

Partner for SAS Curriculum Pathways

SAS had offered the free use of the SAS Curriculum Pathways exclusively to the Malayan High School of Science, an affiliate of Mapua. SAS Curriculum Pathways is a group of web-based, interactive, and standards-based resources in English, Math, Science, Social Studies/History and Spanish for high school students.

In 2009, the SAS Curriculum Pathways was honored by Technology & Learning magazine as one of the “Best Upgraded Products” and was awarded by the Software and Information Industry Association as the CODiE winner for “Best Reading/English Instructional Solution”.

The SAS Global Academic Program has been in the Philippines for more than 10 years and due to the constant demand for business analytics in the country, the demand for SAS skills has risen for the past years as well, prompting SAS to expand its academic alliances locally.

“SAS was founded in the academia and by academics, and this is our way of giving back,” said SAS Philippines Operations Director Maxie Ventura Garin. “We are dedicated in supporting the academe and helping in curriculum development and training.”

SAS has been successful with implementing SAS-integrated courses in the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, and Asia Pacific College. Some of these courses were integrated in the curriculum and research, including testing and thesis.

“SAS plans to continue providing quality education through the SAS curriculum and practical experiences by making SAS technologies accessible to academic institutions. We aim to raise the calibre of fresh graduates in the Philippines and supply the pool of resources as demanded by the market by propagating SAS skills,” said Garin.

Today, SAS software is used in teaching and research by thousands around the world in colleges and universities through the SAS Global Academic Program. The tools, concepts and practices of analytics hold the key to understanding massive amounts of data and then using this knowledge to make sound decisions.

A recent study showed that workers with analytics skills are in high demand as more companies use predictive analytics and other data analytics software.