PN Philippines – Developing an innovative training program

Since September 2015, Passerelles numériques (PN) Philippines’ training is going through a major reform, establishing a new model of training, more innovative, interactive and fun. Thanks to a more student-centered and learn-by-doing pedagogy, technology innovations, accrued implication of coaches and volunteers from partner companies, alumni mentoring, and IT tutoring, our aim is to maximise our students’ employability.

All PN Philippines students will take advantage of the innovative touch given to the classes and of some newly acquired material, but the new training concerns mainly a new pilot class, the promotion 2018. First, the selection of students was reduced to 49 students (instead of 90) to have a reasonable size for a pilot project. The length of the training was also reduced to 2.5 years (instead of 3 years) to enable our students to be on the workplace sooner than the other academic students and, as a result, to facilitate their access to employment by avoiding competition with the others.

 

A market-driven training

The technical training is now limited to the “Software Developer” major but, to help our students stand out from the crowd, at the end of the academic training, before starting their On-the-job training and for a period of 2 months, they chose between 4 different specializations: Java, Web Development, Software Testing and Systems Administration. PN Philippines works closely with local and international businesses to develop a program and offer specializations which fit the market’s needs. Business involvement in the training takes different forms: support with course contents, coaching of students, material donations, etc.

 

Raspberry Pi, Legos, 3D… when programming is fun!

This year, IT training focuses on the Raspberry Pi, the Internet of Things, programming (Linux, Lego Mindstorms) and 3D design and printing. Thanks to several donations and the support of some partners, PN Philippines was able to acquire highly innovative tools and materials.  

A financial donation from our partner Air Liquide Foundation enabled us to buy 12 Raspberry Pi 3, 15 computer components, a drone parrot and an interactive whiteboard “speechi” (the last two will be used later this year).

 

The Raspberry Pi is an inexpensive credit-card-sized computer which is plugged to a computer screen or television. It allows people of all ages to explore the device and learn how to program in different computer languages through fun, practical projects. It is able to do all that is expected of a computer: browsing the internet, playing high-definition video games, using spreadsheets and Word, etc. 

Thanks to this, students have installed a different operating system (OS) and learned how to use Linux.

They have also begun a training on the Internet of Things, an innovative process of connecting regular daily devices (Lights, roller blind, television, air conditioning, etc.) to a small network, accessible from any device through Internet, in order to collect and exchange data. We introduced this concept using a Raspberry Pi 3, allowing the usage of sensors, small networks and other databases.

 

 

Another innovative and surprising aspect of this new training is surely the Lego® Mindstorms, a series of software and hardware used to create customizable, programmable robots. Acquired by Passerelles numériques Philippines thanks to a donation from Accenture Philippines, Lego Mindstorms material includes an intelligent brick computer that controls the system, a set of modular sensors and motors, and Lego parts from the Technic line to create the mechanical systems.

The objective of this training  is to learn about electronics, robotics, and acquire programming expertise. After the classes, the training team organised a Lego Mindstorms Sumo Battle with the robots they have created and programmed.

 

Last but not least, thanks to Crédit Agricole CIB, Passerelles numériques Philippines has also received a 3D printer allowing our students to learn how to use and maintain it. Following their 3D design courses, the students can print the objects they’ve designed and can see the result of their hard work.

Getting PNinspired

Innovation in the training goes beyond technology. Since January 2016, through this once-a-month learning activity, PN Philippines invites speakers from different backgrounds to share their knowledge, skills and experiences with students, staff and alumni. The overarching objective of this event is the convergence of ideas. Topics such as Web Development using Google tools and applications, Cyber Security, Practical Face-to-Face Communication, The impact of the Internet of Things in IT, etc. have already been shared (more information about Talks at PN here).  

 

A great big thanks to all the companies, speakers and highly involved trainers and staff who contributed to this new chapter in Passerelles numériques Philippines program!