Moving forward with Toyota

MANILA, Philippines - Our people, as in every culture, regard education as a major factor in achieving a successful life.  For most, this means a step closer to their dreams.

Looking into the workforce of Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP), which attributes the company’s strength to its people, one can clearly see that the workplace environment provides equal opportunities for growth and improvement.  Toyota puts a premium on the development of its people, and employees continue to be educated by being regularly sent to both work-related and non-work-related self-improvement training programs.  The carmaker believes that empowered employees produce an empowered Team.

For those who want to earn a college degree, Toyota fully supports the endeavor.  In the case of Ericson Forteza, he acquired his college degree through the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) while employed in the company.  ETEEAP is a comprehensive assessment program at the college level that accredits and gives equivalencies to knowledge, skills, attitudes and values gained from the workplace.

Ericson started in Toyota as a trainee in the production line.  Ericson has been a consistent performer, getting promoted almost every year from the time he joined Toyota.  Despite his busy schedule due to production-related requirements, Ericson still managed to acquire a degree in B.S. Industrial Engineering from Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation through the ETEEAP.  While pursuing his degree, his superiors and TMP’s Human Resource Department assisted him in completing documentation requirements such as identification of acquired competencies, trainings and seminars attended, and work experience history with corresponding job function.  These documents were evaluated and earned him credits to acquire the degree in a shorter time.

After graduation in 2007, he was promoted to supervisor. Ericson is currently assigned in Toyota’s regional office in Thailand.  He continues to seize opportunities that come his way saying, “knowledge is endless.”  Thus, he makes sure to make the most out of every opportunity and learn everything he can. 

With years of Toyota experience and the full support of his superiors and family, Ericson was able to fully realize his dream.  More importantly, his example paved the way for other Toyota employees to follow the path he has taken.  As more and more Toyota employees follow his path, Toyota has recently partnered with the University of Batangas with the ETEEAP as one of the major collaborative activities that this academe-industry linkage will pursue.

Ericson’s journey exemplifies Toyota’s motto of “Moving Forward” and “Leading the Way”…that as he moves forward in life, he then leads others to do the same in order to share his successful experience.

Aside from developing its employees, Toyota also gives opportunities to underprivileged but deserving students of automotive-related courses through the scholarship program of Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation (TMPF) and the in-house Toyota Specialized Automotive Program (SATP) in TMP.  These programs aim to level up the competency requirement of technical education in the country in the field of automotive technology. 

Benjie Dionela, a Toyota scholar from the Technological University of the Philippines, underwent the stringent selection and rigorous training of the SATP.  He graduated from SATP as salutatorian and went off to Japan for a two-year training program in Toyota under TMPF’s partner, the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA).

According to Benjie, the opportunities Toyota gave him developed his character and improved his technical competencies.  Even while still in Japan, he was determined to give back to Toyota by facilitating the transfer of knowledge.  When he came back in 1999, Benjie feels blessed to be assigned by Toyota as a technical evaluator in TMP’s Service Department. 

One important lesson he always remembers from his superior whenever he does his daily task is “to repair cars like they are your cars so that you do not compromise on anything.”  With the Toyota Quality evident in his output, Benjie was recognized as one of Toyota’s Most Outstanding Leaders and Team Members in 2009 and was promoted to supervisor early this year.

Clearly, these stories are proof that Toyota’s investment in people will sooner or later come full circle. As Toyota provides opportunities, the development of its employees and the scholars it supports benefit not only the individuals themselves, but also the organization and the community they belong to.