P3.3M in scholarships given to 4 local schools

Saturday, January 14, 2012

CLARK FREEPORT – The Metro Clark Information and Communications Technology Council (MCICTC) recently awarded a total of P3.3 million in training scholarship vouchers to four local schools.

The training scholarship vouchers are accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) with courses in the Information and Communications Technology/Business Processing Optimization (ICT/BPO) field.

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According to Celine Rivera, MCICTC Executive Director, the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP) originated from an agreement forged between Tesda, the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) and the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP).

TWSP aims to “increase the ICT/BPO talent pool by giving deserving students opportunities for free trainings through Tesda-accredited institutions and help enhance the overall hiring rate in the ICT industry,” said MCICTC president Frankie Villanueva.

The program is to be implemented at the local level through the local ICT Councils of various cities, he added. The Metro Clark ICT Council, he said, has been designated to be the lead council for the Luzon group.

Courses available through TWSP include (with their corresponding scholarship values): Contact Center Training (P5,000), Animation (P10,000), Medical Transcription (P10,000) and Software Development (P10,000-P30,000).

Initial awardees of the TWSP vouchers are Clark International College of Science of Technology, CCIS Educational Foundation, St. Nicholas College and Mabalacat College, according to Rivera.

Schools within Metro Clark and Pampanga with accredited Tesda courses in the ICT fields are encouraged to apply for membership with MCICTC in order to qualify for the TWSP vouchers, she said.

Villanueva furthered that part of the responsibilities of the council and the training institution is to facilitate at least 70-percent employment of scholars.

“Metro Clark is one of only three centers of excellence in the country, alongside Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. Some of MCICTC’s major programs are the fostering of Industry-Academe linkages, Industry trade and promotion missions and the hosting of the Clark ConEx International ICT Conference in October, which attracts thousands of delegates from business, academe and government. Clark ConEx has become Metro Clark’s own signature ICT show,” Villanueva said.