IBPAP seeks fund to finance talent development

The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) is pushing for a national college upscaling fund to finance talent development programs.

“We are pushing for a national college upscaling fund. There is no such thing in the Philippines right now,” said IBPAP trustee Jonathan de Luzuriaga during the 2018 Transformation Summit held in Cebu.

De Luzuriaga pointed out there is a need for the government, industry players and the academe to collaborate and provide funding to upscale the industry workforce as it shifts from low value-added activities to high-value tasks.

“The job requirements now have changed. There is a strong need to do upscaling, both in the academe and the working community,” he said.

De Luzuriaga, also president of Philippine Software Industry Association, said the country needs to prepare its workforce in an era when robots are now part of business processes.

He said the future of the industry in the midst of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation are talents who have strong analytical skills and a strong grasp of logical reasoning.

He said low-skilled employees have to be upgraded to mid-skilled workers, while mid-skilled workers have to be upgraded to high-skilled workers.

Jojo Uligan, president of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), in a separate interview, said further education for employees and improvement in skills sets would be the best weapon for the industry to stay ahead of the game amid rapid technological advancements.

The academe is also urged to align the skills sets and mindsets of their students to the current industry requirements, by upgrading or updating of their curriculum.

The IT-BPM industry employs about 1.4 million workers to date, of whom 700 employees work in the contact center industry. /