Wednesday, September 26, 2007 Robillo: PhilNits opens Davao branch By Oliver Robillo IT Talks
THE 18th of September 2007 was an auspicious day for Davao IT. That day saw the inauguration of the Davao branch of the Philippine National IT Standards (PhilNits) Foundation.
Formerly known as Jitse-Phils., PhilNits for five years has been involved in uplifting the quality of IT professionals in the country, via a certification program that is recognized all over Asia and the world.
PhilNits currently carries two certification examinations: the Fundamental IT Exam ("FE") and the Software Design & Development Exam ("SW").
PhilNits-Davao is basically a training and review center for the benefit of Davao- and Mindanao- based IT professionals who plan to take the aforementioned exams. It is located at the 5th floor of Mintrade building on Monteverde Ave. It is where the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI)-Region 11 has its offices.
Furthermore, according to Maricor Akol, president of PhilNits Foundation, the training center, which is equipped with top-of-the-line computers provided by Fujitsu, may also be used for seminars and workshops on skills building for SMEs.
This is in line with the DTI's thrust in developing the local IT industry by enhancing the technological know-how among Davao SMEs. The DTI, hand-in-hand with the ICT Industry Cluster of the Regional Development Council-Region 11, will be coming up with a series of training modules in order to achieve this goal.
What are the benefits of a PhilNits certification?
To the individual IT professional who passes the FE or SW exam, the most immediate and perhaps most weighty is the availability of high-level employment. Passers of the exams will find themselves in huge demand by large technology corporations such as Fujitsu and NEC.
In Japan alone, where these exams originated, there is a yearly requirement of 150,000 IT engineers. While they can recruit up to about 100,000 in-country, Akol reports that the 50,000-man difference has to be sourced outside. PhilNits has taken it upon itself to strive to supply a large chunk of this human resource deficit in Japan. Most Japanese IT corporations will hire only those who have passed at least the FE exam.
It was very uplifting what Jetro executive director Yasutomi Ota said during the PhilNits-Davao press conference. He revealed that, according to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Manila, Japanese industries are eager to hire Filipino IT engineers.
Ota said that Japanese IT firms are thus anticipating the increase in the number of Filipinos who will pass the PhilNits certification exams. The Japan External Trade Organization-Manila Office is one of the heavyweight supporters of PhilNits.
While it will be advantageous for Filipino IT professionals to know Nihongo, it is in fact our English proficiency that is our edge. According to Hon. Toru Nakayama, a senior Japanese government official who graced the PhilNits-Davao inauguration, Japanese IT companies see the value of Filipinos in their efforts to compete in the American and European markets.
Nakayama is the Director of the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry of Japan.
Holders of PhilNits certification can expect to be employed not only by companies in Japan. The IT exams originally created and administered by Japan are now recognized by, and implemented in, the following countries: China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
In 2003, PhilNits and similar organizations in these countries have all congregated to form the I.T. Professional Examination Council (ITPEC). Council members now have mutual certification recognition agreements with the Japan I.T. Engineers Examination Center (Jitec). This has resulted in the wide acceptance of the IT exams.
IT industry watchers should not view this new development in light of the proverbial 'brain drain' problem. The reason I say this is that having the PhilNits certification here will actually be a boon to the local industry. The increase of PhilNits-certified IT professionals will certainly amount to Davao and the Philippines being recognized as a viable investment destination for IT businesses.
While it is a great probability that PhilNits-certified Dabawenyos will migrate to Japan (or other countries) for higher-paying jobs, others may decide to stay on as masters of their own domains.
Equipped with an internationally recognized proof of proficiency, what's to stop PhilNits-certified Dabawenyos from establishing their own IT firms?
Such IT firms could proceed to become successful outsourcing outfits. Based in Davao, these companies could very well accept, say, Japanese service contracts, and therefore ultimately contribute to the development of our local I.T. industry.
They could then provide gainful employment to other Dabawenyos, who could, in turn, prepare for their own PhilNits certification. This is the favorable cycle being envisioned by the PhilNits Foundation and its supporters. And once we have achieved critical mass -- a sizable number of exam takers and passers -- Davao will surely come under the radar of foreign IT investors.
The PhilNits Davao Branch is a joint undertaking of the PhilNits Foundation Inc. and DTI-Region 11, and is being supported locally by the ICT Industry Cluster-RDC 11.
For the first year of its operations, the branch will be headed by Shinichiro Kato, Jetro expert and VP-Finance of the PhilNits Foundation.
