First Pacific Leadership Academy nurtures future leaders

MANILA, Philippines - What is a “corporate university” and why is it becoming a practical business approach among big companies around the world?

A definition found online describes a corporate university as “any educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its goals by conducting activities that foster individual and organizational learning and knowledge.”

Statistics show that back in the early 1990s, there were around 400 corporate universities, mostly in the United States, and the number grew to around 2,000 by around 2001. It is common practice in big firms like Walt Disney, aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and telecommunications company Motorola.

Why this strategy? This made good business sense, especially among larger organizations and companies under their umbrella since a corporate university provides more intense and focused training for their management people and executives. There’s no need to send their managers to enroll in masters or executive programs in educational institutions or training and consultancy firms. With the corporate university setup, molding company’s future leaders can be done right in their own premises.

Recognizing the benefits a dedicated corporate university brings in developing local in-house business leaders, Hong Kong-based investment management and holding company First Pacific Co. Ltd. thus established the first corporate university in the country — the First Pacific Leadership Academy (FPLA).

Why trust FPLA in developing your people? FPLA offers leadership and management courses. It has learning solutions that can be totally customized based on organizations’ actual needs, whether for organizational development, people improvement or long-term business growth, and comes in comprehensive yet competitively priced packages.

FPLA’s “Executive Development” programs include training and mentorship, tapping successful business people who prove eager and willing to share their knowledge, challenges and triumphs in their respective fields to FPLA enrollees.

FPLA’s programs also help identify talented individuals within a company and help guide companies’ leadership to see an individual’s potential and eventually, help these potential leaders bring their company forward into the future.

Sending your company’s management team to the FPLA for further training definitely has its advantages. The FPLA boasts of a committed team of educators, program heads, trainers and facilitators who are all committed enablers of learning and innovation in helping shape outstanding leaders who help grow their companies and significantly contribute to national development and progress.

FPLA’s core competence is also made stronger through its collaborative relationships with top-notch educational institutions in designing and administering management and leadership courses within the FPLA.

Plus, the ability to learn and nurture one’s leadership and management skills amid an ideal learning environment is what makes FPLA an effective training hub. Its 10-hectare wide grounds located in the hills of Antipolo City in Rizal, complete with top-of-its-class learning support facilities that are functional, modern and spacious, and resort-like ambiance with tree-lined landscape and colorful foliage, are elements that cater to the needs of both trainer and learner in harnessing creative and innovative ideas.

And FPLA’s linkages with other companies within the First Pacific Group like PLDT-Smart, Meralco, Maynilad, MNTC and IndoFood, among others, in terms of providing management and supervisory programs and cadet engineering programs are experiences that give FPLA the ability to provide “proficiency-based learning.”

Its technical programs, on the other hand, are developed under the Integrated Management System which counts Quality Management or ISO 9001:2008, Environmental Management (ISO 14001:2004) and Occupational Health and Safety (ISO 18001:2007).

Though the FPLA is committed to training executives under the First Pacific Group, it is not closing its doors to other companies that wish to make their management personnel undergo internationally accepted management and leadership courses.

“The FPLA, though launched late last year, is no stranger to developing leaders of the future. As a corporate university with a solid foundation for learning in place, coupled with the most ideal learning facilities and technologies and the most talented and hardworking group of educators, we are now, more than ever, committed to helping build the country and its people by shaping the leaders of the future — today,” said Roy Agustin Evalle, general manager for First Pacific Leadership Succession and Development.

For more details about FPLA, its corporate programs and facilities, visit www.fpacademy.net or call (+632) 632-8111.