THE IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (Ibpap) has teamed up with government agencies to upskill workers in the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM).
Ibpap president and chief executive officer Jack Madrid said the country’s information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) “will continue to support” the talent development agenda of the national government through the several initiatives that are already underway.
Ibpap said it will help the Marcos administration by upskilling entry-level talent and the existing workforce through a national talent upskilling program; increasing the capacity for specialized degree courses; establishing early-stage interventions to boost proficiency and employability; and creating an IT-BPM services online talent hub.
Just recently, IBPAP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Commission on Higher Education to embed training programs designed by the IT-BPM sector into the curriculum of higher education institutions for more readily employable graduates with industry-relevant skills.
Ibpap launched an IT-BPM Talent Hub, a career portal where organizations can post their information, post about job openings, conduct screening processes, and engage with potential talent. Ibpap said it is currently working with the local government unit of Quezon City to implement a revised work immersion program for select schools within the academic year 2022-2023 in collaboration with Concentrix.
“We intend to replicate this nationwide once tested and perfected,” said Madrid.
Talent Summit
Another major initiative that Ibpap has in the pipeline is an IT-BPM Talent Summit slated in April 2023 together with the Board of Investments.
Madrid said the event will serve as a venue to strengthen the IT-BPM talent ecosystem and to rally stakeholders in the government and the academe to speak about and work together to address pressing issues on talent attraction and development.
“While these activities are ongoing, we will work in parallel towards developing a strategic and operational framework for a national upskilling program that can be rolled out across the country. This is our big ambition for the Filipino talent who has been and will continue to be the backbone of the dynamic and vibrant IT-BPM sector,” he said.
“We want to remain ahead of the changing business and talent landscape by ensuring they are equipped in the top skill areas for IT-BPM: next-generation IT and digital skills, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for business process functions, traditional IT skills, industry-specific SMEs, soft skills, and language skills that go beyond English,” he added.
But Madrid stressed that these initiatives will require a multi-year and multi-stakeholder cooperation. Ibpap also hopes to receive even more support from the Marcos administration to expand these programs.
IT-BPM’s total headcount is expected to reach 1.55 million full-time employees while its total revenue is projected to amount to US$32 billion this year. The industry aims to end 2028 with 2.5 million-strong IT-BPM workforce, generating $59 billion as outlined in its Roadmap 2028.
“We will stay on this track as we move forward by centering our efforts around our acceleration levers: policy and regulatory support, infrastructure expansion, marketing and brand repositioning and talent development,” said Madrid.