Friday, July 27, 2007 Group launches program to create IT labor pool
TO meet the annual demand of 1,500 entry-level software developers in the province, the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedf-it) is now in the position to launch its Bridge Course Program (BCP) this September.
The BCP, considered to be the first in the Philippines, aims to meet the growing local demand for qualified software developers since it serves as a “tipping point” in bridging the gap between those who are hired and those who are deemed as second choices, said Cedf-it senior project manager Arnold Banogon.
Citing a survey by Cedf-it in 2006, he said only 600 information technology (IT) graduates are absorbed by companies.
This means there was a shortage of 900 qualified graduates for entry-level employment in the IT sector.
“Cedf-it wants to fast- track courses to hasten the delivery in the quantity and quality of our IT graduates,” said Banogon.
Short courses
This is why he said Cedf-it will conduct, starting Sept. 15, a two-month BCP that will provide short courses in Java at the University of San Jose Recoletos Basak Campus, Microsoft.Net at Southwestern Univeristy, and PHP Web Programming at the University of Southern Philippines in Lahug.
Each course will target 30 graduating students in IT-related courses like computer engineering and computer science. It will also be open to those who were considered but not hired by IT companies and newly hired software developers.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Bano-gon said the BCP process links the students with IT companies, which will sponsor scholarships for the trainees.
About 30 Cedf-it member and non-member companies have shown interest in the scholarship, he added.
The deadline for applications is Aug. 25. Each course costs P1,000 for Java and Microsoft.Net and P1,200 for PHP web programming.
Employment
Upon completion of the program, trainees will be provided certificates that will increase their chances for employment, said Banogon.
BCP stage 2, or the full implementation of the program, is slated in April 2008 and will include three additional courses like Oracle, IPV6 and Systems Programming in C/C++. Each course can accommodate about 150 students.
Despite high turnover ratios caused by people transferring from one company to another, the market for IT developers continues to grow, Banogon said.
The shortage of personnel is also made worse by the exodus of Filipino IT professionals for overseas jobs.
Still, Banogon said the IT industry is “lucky” as there are institutions willing to offer additional trainings and seminars to produce quality professionals.
He advised people to enroll in IT courses since there is a big chance for finding employment in the industry. “The demand is huge both locally and abroad,” he added. (MMM)
