Saturday, November 18, 2006 Cedf-it inks ties with company for Unix training of members
Due to an increase in demand for computer hardware engineers here and abroad, the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it) has tapped a private corporation engaged in information technology (IT) consultancy to train Unix syllabi to its member-schools.
“We’re not known to have good hardware experts. And for Cebuanos to become globally competitive, it’s about time that we invest in graduates who will be quality hardware specialists,” Cedf-it executive director Bonifacio Belen said during the memorandum of agreement signing with Sahara Systems Corp. last Thursday at the Cebu City Sports Club.
Japan engineers
According to a statement furnished to Sun.Star Cebu, Sahara will provide 26 workstations running on Unix system, and its system engineers in Japan will train selected member-school faculties.
Belen said the Cedf-it office’s training facility in Asiatown IT Park will undergo renovation to accommodate the computers.
Faculty members from the University of Cebu, University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu Institute of Technology, University of San Carlos, University of the Visayas, University of Southern Philippines, Southwestern University, Cebu Doctors’ University, and other Cedf-it member-schools will undergo a five-month training on the Unix training syllabi and modules beginning January 2007.
To ensure continuity of the expected two- and a half-year project, the participating faculty of Cedf-it member-schools will render one year of service in their respective academic institutions to promote the Unix training to its students.
Curriculum
Belen said the project also aims to embed the Unix system in the curriculum of the participating member-schools.
“This project seeks to address the problem on brain drain in the country. If a company engaged in the Unix system wants to set up a company here, then they will be assured our pool of IT and engineering graduates are already competent and well-trained in it,” he said.
Belen said Cedf-it has lined up several projects- in various stages of development- next year.
Cedf-it marked its fifth year anniversary last Nov. 16. It now has over 100 members, including Asiantech, Teletech, Drishti, Convergys and Sun Microsystems, as its latest addition.
“The partnership we clinched with Sahara was the highlight of our anniversary,” Belen said. (MMM)
