Presentation
Human Capital--Awareness, Knowledge and Education:
The Philippine Scenario
Ms. Nieva Neri
Information Technology Officer II and Assistant Director
for IT Policy Development of the National Computer Centre, Philippines
In recent years the IT professional has taken a center stage role in the world economy and has become an indispensable person in the workplace. IT is most useful to the people using it--it is a tool and being so, quality is also important. The core value of the IT professional is to make technology work for information; formal education and a work ethic is just the beginning for an IT professional. Without the inculcated sense of responsibility, IT professionals are reduced from being knowledge workers to mere tools that use tools.
A handful of multinational enterprises have set up offices in the Philippines to take advantage of the expertise of the local talent, not only in IT skills, but also in other professional skills. But there is competition from other countries in the region. In the aftermath of the recent economic turmoil, it is important for the Philippines to find further incentives to attract the multinationals to the Philippines.
The Philippine IT professional is well-educated, with English proficiency, and a growing track record of successful IT work and strong entrepreneurship. A current estimate of the number of IT professionals in the country is just above 30,000, a very small proportion of the population. There are 637 schools and training centers all over the Philippines offering educational programs related to IT. Of the 637 schools, 116 are state-owned universities and colleges, spread around the country.
The Filipino IT profession is weak in that there is a scarcity of middle- to high-end IT professionals with sufficient IT education and training, and experience for international projects. A shortage of skilled manpower exists in web development and design, e-commerce, customer service skills, interpersonal skills and strategic management skills. There is a need for massive training and change management in government agencies to retool the existing manpower pool being tapped for IT functions.
To tackle the above-mentioned weaknesses, the government has adopted some policy solutions, whereby public and private education and training institutions are adopting IT education to develop a critical mass of IT professionals and an IT literate workforce. Mobile computer schools are being maintained by the Department of Science and Technology, due to the geography of the Philippines.
In addition, certification is issued to successful examinees of proficiency examinations conducted by the National Computer Center. Private firms offer education and training to their staff, as well as competitive compensation packages, often denominated in US$. The government has instituted laws like the e-Commerce Law and guidelines to protect individuals as well as businesses from fraudulent behavior by other market players.
Other pertinent issues include brain drain, and, in this connection, the government of the Philippines has a role to play in regulating mass migration from the country, otherwise it may become difficult for the country to compete internationally.
The government has initiated the move to create cyber parks to support the development of IT in the country. Favorable tax arrangements and an abundant supply of cheap high-quality professionals make the country an attractive place for investment. Incentives offered by the government could be of great assistance to IT companies, particularly start-ups; for example, the establishment and promotion of cyber parks, and inducements to IT companies to relocate to cyber parks.
Since before the economic crisis, and the volatile political situation in the last part of the year 2000, the government has been proactive in dealing with IT industry issues. In the case of IT development, the government has installed legislation and guidelines to protect individuals, as well as businesses, from fraudulent behavior of other market players, such as the first e-Commerce Law, which was approved in June of last year. However, there is still a need to amend the provisions of this law to adapt to the changing behavior of the market.
In conclusion, Filipino IT professionals are young and upwardly mobile, and well educated. However, in terms of Internet-related education, there is a lack of coordination between academia and the IT industry players: addressing this issue should facilitate a smooth supply of reliable and quality manpower. It is important to make the best possible use of human capital.
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