- Meralco Power Academy and MSU-IIT signed an MoU to boost energy education, innovation, and capability-building through training, industrial immersion, and collaborative programs.
- Initiatives include curriculum development in renewable energy and nuclear science, hosting the Mindanao leg of the Young Engineers and Scientists Summit, and professional research events.
- The partnership aims to create a future-ready energy workforce, support R&D, and align academic training with the evolving needs of the clean and sustainable energy sector.
The Meralco Power Academy (MPA) and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further strengthen collaboration in energy education and innovation.
Top officials of the two institutions sealed the partnership through a signing ceremony at Meralco's headquarters in Pasig City. The MoU seeks to further bolster capability-building through specialized learning activities, training programs and industrial immersion activities among students.
Joining the signing ceremony were MPA executive director Ian Chester V. Colorina, Meralco senior vice president and chief human resources officer Edgardo V. Carasig, Meralco executive vice president and chief operating officer and MPA president Ronnie L. Aperocho, MSU-IIT Chancellor Alizedney M. Ditucalan, and MSU-IIT Professors Moheddin Sumagayan and Noel Estoperez.
As part of its vision to empower and equip future power sector professionals, MPA will collaborate with MSU-IIT on a variety of initiatives. Among them are staging the Mindanao leg of the Young Engineers and Scientists Summit, co-designing curriculum on advanced degree courses in renewable energy and nuclear science, and staging professional lectures and research conferences.
"More than a pact, this partnership embodies a common vision of creating a future-proof energy workforce", averred Aperocho, an MSU alumnus. "With MSU-IIT, we aim to provide aspiring engineers and scientists with the training and know-how to take the Philippines to a greener future in terms of energy".
Chancellor Ditucalan emphasized the value of closer collaboration between the university and business worlds to cater to the changing needs of the energy sector.
"Previously, the higher education sector and industry were going in opposite directions", he explained. The way forward is enhancing cooperation not just in talent and manpower development but even in research and development.
The collaboration will also fund lab collaborations and help develop the nation's supply of energy professionals as it shifts towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources.
