Eskwelabs 2022 Anniversary Progress Report: Digital Transformation

We could share a bullet point list of these actions, but we can actually sum it up via the term, “digital transformation.” It appeared back in 1943, became a buzzword in the business scene around the year 2013, but it has shot up in popularity since then. And it looks like it’s not going away any time soon. The global digital transformation market will be valued at $2.8 trillion by 2025. 

Digital transformation is the efficient, intelligent, and bold integration of digital technology into every aspect of one’s business. This process changes the way companies operate, delight customers, and cultivate their inner culture.‍

How to succeed at digital transformation

The key to success in digital transformation is data maturity. Now this is where Eskwelabs comes in. Since our start-up’s founding in 2019, our mission to democratize skills education to help people thrive in the future of work has always stayed the same. What this looks like in practice for the people we are equipping looks different depending on their goals. 

For individuals and teams who want to level up their careers with data skills, shift into analytics, or start their data science journey, we’ve created our intensive bootcamps. We call these learners our Data Challengers. But we also provide training for those whose primary goals are about answering their business questions with data. These people sit in decision making positions and are known as Data Enablers. 

“Innovate with Data,” is our way to accelerate the digital transformation (DX) of companies through organizational data maturity. There are three components to DX—people, process, and tools—but Eskwelabs primarily focuses on the “people” one. 

‍Change is the only constant

Aside from “survival,” another word that’s imprinted to the DNA of every professional—whether in a startup, organization, or their own business—is “transition.” Change is constant in our world, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult. There will always be those who push back. In fact, 54% of companies have reported employee resistance to digital adoption (Futurum Forum, 2021).

Sit down with any one of these employees and you’ll discover their reasons to be as diverse as they are. At Eskwelabs, we appreciate this diversity and understand that all of these people have their own unique learning style. 

‍Designing for learners’ schedules and understanding their busyness

When coming up with our “Innovate with Data” (IWD) learning product, this is what we kept in mind. These learners are characterized by busy schedules, calendars that are as jam packed as their to-do lists—because oftentimes their calendars become their to-do lists in the first place. They also have to bear the weight of an entire company on their shoulders; this takes up a lot of mental space. How might we then design a learning experience specifically for founders and executives, aka the Data Enablers? 

In 2021, we equipped 23 start-ups from the AIM Dado Banatao Incubator with in-demand data skills—the kind that would not only help them “survive” their digital transformation process, but also “thrive.” Thank you to these startups for their trust: Agrabah Ventures, AI4GOV, AutoServed, BioPhil, Burket, Digest, ECFULFILL. Farmvocacy, Husay Company, Indigo Research, Layla, LexMeet, Luxx Ventures, Mayani, Pasajob, Payruler, RainFrog, ReXi, SeeYouDoc, SGT DRIVE, Tinag Technologies, Waste2Sustainability Solutions, WTH Foods.

We gathered our learners for IWD online in our Zoom classrooms but here’s a list of all the cities and provinces in the Philippines we’ve covered so far: Quezon City, Pasig City, Taguig, Manila, Marikina City, Mandaluyong City, Makati City, Las Pinas City, Paranaque City, Cavite, Laguna, Binangonan, Cebu, Camarines Sur, Mindoro Occidental, Marilao

We trained over 73 start-up founders in 2021. These founders from AIM DBI saw the need to adapt, and we’re thankful they chose and trusted Eskwelabs for their upskilling. 

In 2022, Innovate with Data is currently going through a series of in-depth evaluations. Product development was our IWD team’s priority for this year and we are cheering for them as they continue to iterate. In our 4th year Anniversary Progress Report next year, we are looking forward to sharing 2022 IWD milestones.

Moving forward, something exciting to look forward to is this learning product’s partnership with Accenture, which is a Fortune Global 500 company. It’s an IT giant and legend known for its services in strategy, management, operations consulting, and more.

The learning experience of IWD is not that far from our intensive bootcamps—the Data Analytics Bootcamp and the Data Science Fellowship. These 9-week and 15-week bootcamps are composed of what we call “data sprints” or “learning sprints,” and the founders who have gone through IWD experienced the same elements comprising a data sprint. 

A big salute to the teammates working on our bootcamps who created the processes and protocols that then served as the foundation for any operations and curriculum related to IWD. 

Scaling our impact, expanding our reach

Having our very own co-founder and CEO Angela Chen become inducted into the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP) Board of Trustees is precisely the milestone that will allow us to reach more organizations that need help with digital transformation.

The AAP is the official organization in the Philippines that’s tasked to lead the growth and evolution of the country’s analytics sector. Their scope involves providing the same leadership for other analytics-enabled fields, too. 

Here is the AAP’s current Board of Trustees and Officers. We’re humbled to have a seat amongst such legendary names in the field of data analytics and data science across the nation.

Eskwelabs hopes to equip more Data Enablers—from startup founders and company executives—to become data-driven decision makers in the future of work.

‍Partner with Eskwelabs

You can visit our Learning Sprints website here. We are looking forward to designing and delivering a dynamic, flexible, and work-relevant learning experience for your company and teams.