A research, extension, and professional staff from the UP Diliman Institute for Small Scale Industries (ISSI) was picked as one of two Philippine representatives at the recently held Asian Productivity Organization (APO) youth training in Mongolia.

Jake A. Villanueva, a university extension specialist from the ISSI Training and Entrepreneurship Education Division, represented the country at the Development of Productivity Practitioners Among the Youth by the APO in cooperation with the Mongolia Productivity Organization from June 10 to 14 in Ulaantabar in Mongolia.

The APO, according to its website, is an “intergovernmental organization established in 1961 to increase productivity in the Asia-Pacific region through mutual cooperation. The APO contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the region through policy advisory services, acting as a think tank, and undertaking smart initiatives in the industry, agriculture, service, and public sectors.” 

A report from the ISSI stated that the training, which aimed to increase the awareness of productivity among young people in APO member countries, “highlighted topics on fundamental concepts of productivity, tools and techniques on productivity enhancement, youth development and participation in economic development, use of Generative AI on productivity, and designing productivity programs for the youth.”

The training participants from 16 Asian countries also visited the Mongolia Foundation for Science and Technology, APU Company [a beverage company], and Gobi Cashmere Company “to witness and understand better the implementation of the productivity tools and techniques as well as the production and operation lines involved in each organization,” the ISSI stated.