FTW Foundation

FTW Foundation FTW Foundation empowers underserved Filipinas to build skills for future-ready tech and data careers

Before any AI tool can answer a question, someone has to make sure the data behind it is clean, organized, and ready to ...
20/08/2026

Before any AI tool can answer a question, someone has to make sure the data behind it is clean, organized, and ready to use. That's data engineering, and it's what our Batch 12 scholars are learning right now.

They're training on Databricks, a platform used by real companies to manage their data and build AI-ready systems. Not a simulation. The same tools, the same skills, the real thing.

Thank you to Accenture in the Philippines and Databricks for supporting this cohort, including the caps our scholars are wearing!

Every Saturday, before our Batch 12 scholars open their laptops, they spend part of the morning on something that has no...
14/08/2026

Every Saturday, before our Batch 12 scholars open their laptops, they spend part of the morning on something that has nothing to do with data.

Public speaking. Impromptu speeches in front of the whole class. The kind of thing that makes even confident people nervous.

This past Saturday, before another round of speeches, we talked about a mindset shift: practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes progress. Small, deliberate, uncomfortable progress, one Saturday at a time.

We believe career transitions aren't just about learning to code. They're about learning to show up, again and again, until the thing that used to scare you doesn't anymore.

That's the kind of graduate FTW has built for eleven cohorts now. Not someone who started fearless. Someone who practiced until she was ready.

We didn't have to write this one. Our Batch 12 scholars already did.Since classes started, several of them have shared t...
12/08/2026

We didn't have to write this one. Our Batch 12 scholars already did.

Since classes started, several of them have shared their own reflections on LinkedIn. A few lines that resonated with us:

"A few years ago, I started exploring the data field, but life took me in a different direction. Now, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to continue that journey." - Sara

"This was my 3rd try applying, and it finally paid off. Not gonna lie, I'm scared... but I'm even more excited because persistence just worked." - Shiena

"We're not starting over, we're starting smarter." - Kinah

"I'm excited to see where this journey takes me and, most importantly, to learn and build along the way." - Tricia

32 women. 32 different paths that led here. Same Saturday. Same goal.

Sydnie was studying Chemical Engineering when she found FTW's Data Science scholarship online. She didn't have a tech ba...
07/08/2026

Sydnie was studying Chemical Engineering when she found FTW's Data Science scholarship online. She didn't have a tech background. She had curiosity, and she decided to try.

She started as a Junior Data Analyst. There were sleepless nights, moments of doubt, times she questioned if she was good enough. In less than a year, she grew into a data engineer, and today she leads a regional data warehouse project, working with teams across multiple countries.

This batch, she's back at FTW, volunteering as a support instructor for our newest scholars.

We asked what she'd tell a Batch 12 scholar who doubts she's technical enough:
You don’t have to know everything from the start. Believe in yourself, take a deep breath, and focus on building a strong foundation one step at a time.
If I could do it, then you can too. Kakayanin!

From scholar to data engineer and now a support instructor for the next 32 women to help them do the same. That's the kind of ripple effect we're building toward.

There's a reason FTW training programs don't start with code.Bad data leads to bad decisions. That's the easy part to un...
04/08/2026

There's a reason FTW training programs don't start with code.

Bad data leads to bad decisions. That's the easy part to understand. What's harder is catching it before it happens, and that starts with a question most people skip entirely: what problem are you actually trying to solve?

Our scholars spend their first weeks on exactly that, before they touch a single tool. Because a technically perfect pipeline built on the wrong question is still the wrong answer.

01/08/2026

Batch 12 Day One energy. 32 women, 14 Saturdays, one goal. 🎉

Some of our Batch 12 scholars walked into their first day thinking a data engineer "moves data from one place to another...
30/07/2026

Some of our Batch 12 scholars walked into their first day thinking a data engineer "moves data from one place to another." Others weren't sure what the job even involved. A few admitted they were worried they wouldn't keep up.

We asked them, before anything else, what they were hoping to learn. The answers were honest. Some wanted technical and coding skills. Some wanted a strong foundation despite coming from a non-tech background. A lot of them, in their own way, said the same thing: they wanted a community to go through this with.

That's the part of day one that keeps inspiring us. The fact that 32 women, most of them unsure of exactly what they were walking into, showed up together anyway.

This is what Batch 12 looks like on day one. 13 Saturdays from now, it'll look different.

FTW Board Trustee, Ambe Tierro of Accenture, recently published something about what it'll take to get the Philippines r...
28/07/2026

FTW Board Trustee, Ambe Tierro of Accenture, recently published something about what it'll take to get the Philippines ready for AI. Her point: it's not really about the technology. It's about whether enough people get the chance to learn the skills before the gap gets too wide.

That's the whole reason FTW exists. Our 607 graduates and 32 Batch 12 scholars are proof. VAs, teachers, admin staff, stay-at-home moms - women who didn't need more talent, just someone willing to bet on them and the training to back it up.

If you know a woman who's ready for a change like this, share this with her. That's usually how it starts, someone in her circle who believes in her potential.

Read Ambe's paper here: https://www.accenture.com/ph-en/blogs/talent-organization/ai-ready-philippines

FTW x Accenture Batch 12 has officially kicked off Some of our Batch 12 scholars are commuting hours to get to class. So...
23/07/2026

FTW x Accenture Batch 12 has officially kicked off

Some of our Batch 12 scholars are commuting hours to get to class. Some are working night shifts and showing up at 9am anyway. Some are the first in their family to graduate and take a shot at a tech career.

None of them are doing this only for themselves. Most are doing it for a parent who worked hard so they wouldn't have to struggle the same way, or for a family they've quietly been holding up for years.

This is what Batch 12 looks like. Not one story. Many, all pointing the same direction: toward a future they're building on purpose.

Follow along on their journey.

Applications for Batch 12 are closed - and we're reading through every single one.It's one of our favorite parts of the ...
08/07/2026

Applications for Batch 12 are closed - and we're reading through every single one.

It's one of our favorite parts of the year, and one of the hardest. Behind each form is someone's story: a mom trying to build a better future for her kids, a teacher ready for something new, someone who's been told "tech isn't for you" more times than she can count, and applied anyway.

To everyone who submitted an application: thank you for trusting us with your story. Whether or not you're selected for this cohort, the fact that you applied says something about who you are.
A big thank you as well to Accenture in the Philippines , back again as Batch 12's cohort sponsor, for helping make this next chapter possible.

Review is underway. Scholar announcements coming soon 👀

Address

V&A Law Center, 11th Avenue And 39th Street
Makati
1630

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when FTW Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to FTW Foundation:

Shortcuts

Share

Category