DOST wins award for project on e-employment

A Department of Science and Technology (DOST) electronic employment project providing access to ICT enabled services and content to poor communities recently won an international award, out of 70 global entries.

The Tech4ED (“Technology for Education to gain Employment and to empower Entrepreneurs towards Economic Development”) Project of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Office won the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2016 Prize.

As of early 2016, a total of 163 operational Tech4ED Centers across the Philippines have benefited over 4,000 users belonging to sectors such out-of-school-youth, senior citizens, entrepreneurs, overseas Filipino workers, persons with disabilities, students and educators.

Tech4ED Centers in rural and under-served areas are creating self-reliant communities through access to connectivity, communication, information, knowledge and vital government services.

“Through the Tech4ED Project, we aim to cut the cycle of poverty, reduce inequalities and expand opportunities for decent work,” says Head of eSociety, Bettina Quimson, whose team is spearheading the Tech4ED Project.

The WSIS Project Prize, which the ICTO-DOST project won, is an international contest developed to recognize entities in the public and the private sector who succeed in implementing development-oriented strategies using ICT.

According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, 18 projects were hailed “WSIS Prize Champions” out of 70 nominees from around the world.

ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao announced the prize for the Tech4ED Project during the WSIS High-Level Opening Segment in Geneva International Conference Center (CICG).

“ITU and its WSIS partners strongly believe in the critical importance of ICTs in achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals,” he remarked.

An open online voting process for the awards engaged over 245,000 stakeholders from different countries.

A total of 311 projects were nominated for the 2016 contest, reflecting both the prestigious nature of the award and the growing importance of ICTs in national development strategies.