The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), through the various TVET institutions, is in the best position to help supply the information technology (IT) manpower demands of business in general, and the IT companies in particular.

One plausible approach is simply to provide very specific training programs on IT employable skills that students can finish in six to 12 months, like programming or computer repair work.  Good programmers agree that learning a programming language will not take more than a month.  Using it efficiently, however, takes time.  With students having access to computers in Internet cafes, practice could be done outside of the usual school hours.  This means a student who is serious about gaining employable programming skills only has to practice.  The instructor or trainors is there to make sure he practices doing the right things.

TESDA can require the schools come up with six-month training programs.  Then with training reduced to six months, the students can have more time practicing and gaining experience on the job.  The schools can then include in their program on-the-job training with partner companies who will be ore than willing to use students to get their programs done if the students are trained accordingly by schools.

Schools draw up OJT agreements with companies to get at least an 80 percent minimum wage to be paid to their trainees.  If, after the OJT, the companies like the performance of the students, they can hire the graduates as regular employees.

This ideal situation, however, happens only for small schools.  For the bigger training institutions, companies usually ask schools for their requirements.  In most cases, the school will submit the names of their top students to inquiring companies.  As a policy, no school will guarantee hiring for all their graduates.

Issues

·          The need to upgrade the system of registration and accreditation (UTPRAS) of TESDA to make it more responsive to the needs of TVET schools and industry.

·          The need for TESDA to foster closer alliance with TVET schools and IT industry leaders to keep pace with emerging technologies.

·          The need for TESDA to upgrade the IT awareness of its staff to take advantage of new IT technologies to enable improved productivity of its people, and effectiveness of its IT TVET program.

·          The need for TVET institutions to keep up with the demand of business and industry, and to be more concerned with the quality of their graduates and their role as molders of the Philippine IT workforce.

·          The need to promote the image of the vocational graduate to match, if not exceed, that of a university IT graduate.

Recommendations:

·           TESDA should promote IT as a profitable and in-demand vocational skill that can be learned best in a TVET institution.

·           TESDA should focus on a few IT occupations, particularly in the programming category.

·           TESDA can require to follow a school/ industry-driven set of training standards.  Schools should come up with a cohesive, targeted training curriculum for the programming, technician and IT aide positions.

·           TESDA should review and upgrade its Training Regulations on IT Occupations.

Conclusion:

·           Programmers are the most in-demand occupations or positions.  This is followed by Systems Analysts, and Network Specialists.

·          There are too many IT graduates, but only few have IT skills.  As a result, most IT vocational graduates do not end up with IT positions or occupations.

·          There is no assurance that all IT-related jobs are high-paying or have equal salary rates per job category.