On September 28-29, 2019, the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines (FINEX) supported the participation of ten (10) women to Connected Women’s ELEVATE training in Metro Manila. Through its sponsorship, FINEX not only empowered these women to the new world of remote work, it also opened new doors for them in their own careers.

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FINEX believes in the power of innovation – with its main thrust: “Innovating Businesses for a Better Tomorrow.” Its partnership with Connected Women reflects this vision, as well as its support for the ELEVATE program through this sponsorship. Remote work is fast becoming a more viable option for women who are looking for work that is fulfilling and affords them the level of flexibility they need to do other things.

The 10 sponsored women came from different backgrounds, but all had one thing in common – the desire to be more than what they currently are. Each one had a unique story to tell, but everyone was very thankful for the chance to join the program to start anew or to push forward, whatever phase in life they are in.

Building Them Up

One of the ladies was Estrellita Cayabyab, a person with disability and a single mother to one child. At 55 years old, she did not see herself going back to corporate work. After 20 years working mainly doing administrative and collection work, she resigned because of too much pressure at work. She put up a small retail store but since it is not enough to support the family, she started to think about finding a regular job.

According to her, she has lost hope in reviving her career. Her participation in Elevate however has “helped her gain back her confidence.”

Normita Bodota, 45, on the other hand, has already started building her career as a virtual assistant. Having heard about online freelancing early one, she already had some idea how big remote work could be and what opportunities it can give to women like her. Attending the workshop strengthened her resolve to push forward and become a virtual assistant.

Values, More Than Skills

The participants also cited how different the Elevate program with other training programs. Normita mentioned that it helped her “by giving values on how to be a Virtual Assistant,” aside from the basics: what it is all about, the tools that are needed to be equipped to be an Executive Virtual Assistant.

Because of this, she highly recommends this program to women who want to open their minds about what they can do within the remote work industry.

Jovelyn Teodoro, 37, was among those sponsored by FINEX. She was a Workforce Real Time Analyst, but she had to quit her job so that she will not be burned out from the stress of corporate life. For her, the program was more about “demystifying the world of remote work” so much so that she can focus on realistic steps she can take towards transitioning.

She came out of the training more aware of what is really required for her to make that successful transition.

Lifting Them Up, Opening Their Minds

Jovelyn first heard of Elevate at a remote work conference in Metro Manila. More than the program however, she was attracted to Connected Women’s vision of supporting women. She saw the program as a “great springboard” for her to “get the focus and drive going.”

Estrellita says that she has found new hope and confidence with her participation in the program. And she thanks FINEX for supporting women like her to pursue their dreams and become more productive working from home.

During the workshop, she also saw how the sessions and the trainers helped participants learn by assuring them that this was “a safe space” for asking questions, making mistakes and sharing. She adds, “And what makes it more special is that it is active women empowerment. The drive to succeed is too big not to be shared.”

For Jovelyn, the sponsorship not only gave her the opportunity to learn, but also “influenced her mindset to be open and get ready to a great deal of remote work/ freelancing opportunities available.”

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Are you thinking of transitioning into online work?
Interested in joining our brand new program to get you started?

Check out Connected Women’s ELEVATE