The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) 2023 is pleased to honor 78 outstanding business leaders and enterprises for championing sustainable and responsible business practices. Presented by leading regional NGO Enterprise Asia, the AREA is the most reputable award recognition program recognizing organizational efforts in creating a culture of compassion, integrity, and in being socially responsible corporate citizens. The AREA serves as a badge of excellence to spur further innovation and best-practice for sharing about the organization and the world at large.
SCG Foundation was among the recipients who were conferred with the Investment in People Award. As a public charity organization that was established in 1963, its core Missions are to enhance the potential of individuals, especially children, and youth, and uphold corporate social responsibilities through various approaches.
It develops strategies and programs to fit the social circumstances and needs as a reflection of SCG Foundation’s philosophies of “Concern for Social Responsibility and “Belief in the Value of the Individual”.
SCG Foundation has been providing educational scholarships for well-behaved and ambitious children and youths for over 60 years. These scholarships are available from primary to undergraduate levels with a total of 3,000 scholarships worth over THB60 million. The foundation believes that supporting education is a fair and direct way to empower young people to reach their full potential, achieve success and become critical forces for national development in the future.
SCG Foundation has brought up the concept of “Learn to Earn”, scholarships for disciplines in high demand in the labor market and society that enable the recipients to quickly finish the program and begin their professional careers. Throughout the period of being a grantee of SCG Foundation, they will be continuously equipped with hard and soft skills to help the grantee properly cope with crises, problems, and critical situations as they learn to counter future obstacles in the areas of public health and information technology. At present, SCG Foundation offers “Learn to Earn” scholarships totaling 1,300 scholarships worth more than THB32 million.
SCG Foundation has planned to implement a yearly student scholarship tracking system to monitor the employment rates of its scholarship recipients. This will allow for the analysis of the data and adjustment of the educational support direction to best meet the demands of the job market in Thailand.
According to the survey conducted in 2021, it was found that 73% of scholarship students had secured employment, mostly in short-term roles such as Practical Nurses (PN) and Dental Assistants. The foundation also has an SROI impact of 3.96 times the investment. This means that for every THB1 invested, there was a return of THB3.96 in economic and social value, with a maximum social value of 41.2 percent.
The foundation is committed to continually driving the “Learn to Earn” concept forward and making it a national agenda, with inspiration from various projects supporting this concept, as well as through network collaborations with the government, private sector, civil society, and the media. The foundation believes that sustainable education development cannot be achieved by individuals alone, but rather requires the collective efforts of multiple sectors to stimulate social awareness and create a sustainable impact.
About Enterprise Asia
Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine toward sustainable and progressive economic and social development within a world of economic equality. Its two pillars of existence are investment in people and responsible entrepreneurship. Enterprise Asia works with governments, NGOs and other organizations to promote competitiveness and entrepreneurial development, in uplifting the economic status of people across Asia and in ensuring a legacy of hope, innovation and courage for the future generation. Please visit https://www.enterpriseasia.org/ for more information.
About Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA)
The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards program recognizes and honors Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship in the categories of Green Leadership, Investment in People, Health Promotion, Social Empowerment, Corporate Governance, Circular Economy Leadership, Corporate Sustainability Reporting, and Responsible Business Leadership. For more information, visit: https://enterpriseasia.org/area/.