THE Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center (NOLITC) in Bacolod City has leveled up to being the outstanding Technology for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurial, and Economic Development (Tech4Ed) Center in the country in 2018.
NOLITC, one of the three winners, was among the 25 nominees shortlisted from about 2,000 Tech4Ed Centers nationwide.
In 2017, it was recognized as emerging Tech4Ed Center and second top performing center in the country for local government unit (LGU) category.
The provincial government-run center also bagged the award as the Center for Excellence for 2018 from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
Ma. Cristina Orbecido, vocational school administrator of NOLITC, received the two awards from DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio during the National Tech4Ed Awards 2018 awarding rites held at the Royal Mandaya Hotel in Davao City on November 15.
Orbecido said the award is mainly attributed to the center’s innovation and other best practices.
Aside from social impact, NOLITC has introduced new programs like the shared facility for visual graphic design this year following the incubation hub for medical transcription in 2017, he added.
“These recognitions are a testament for continuous effort to sustain the innovation of our Tech4Ed Center, of course, to deliver efficient and effective services to all our clients,” she said, adding that in terms of social impact, the center has really served many recipients.
Like the previous years, the 2018 National Tech4Ed Center Awards is recognizing winners for outstanding and emerging centers, respectively.
The outstanding category covers at least three-year-old Tech4Ed centers, like that of NOLITC, while those established for two years and below fall under the emerging category.
The criteria mainly comprised socio-economic impact, innovation, productivity, partnership and networking.
It is given to a Tech4Ed Center which has exemplary performance and contribution to the growth of the community and the Filipino people through the innovative and highly-effective utilization of ICT programs.
The Center for Excellence award is given to the center for achieving a consistent exemplary level in delivering sustainable ICT-enabled services, earning the distinction of being a component for positive change, and for exhibiting commendable impact in the growth and development of the community it serves through the center.
For NOLITC, Orbecido said it has a unique strategy of embedding its training programs with that of Tech4Ed.
In fact, this practice has resulted in positive social impact especially with regards to boosting employment in the community, Orbecido said.
In terms of innovation, one initiative of NOLITC is partnering with the Go Negosyo Center of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the province.
“While they are conducting seminars as the Go Negosyo Center, we are introducing Tech4Ed to the participants so they could also understand the services of the DICT,” she said, adding that “we are really trying to think for innovations every year to widen our reach thereby covering more unserved sectors.”
Aside from the trophy and certificate, NOLITC received one computer set as a prize.
The Tech4Ed is a project of the DICT aimed at empowering Filipinos through innovative digital inclusion towards sustainable development.
In 2016, the DICT also recognized NOLITC as top performing Tech4ed Center in the country with a second highest increase in the number of registered users.
“This validates our drive to really promote the programs and deliver inclusive growth in the countryside,” Orbecido said, as she cited the strong support of the provincial government to the center.
In fact, Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. wants it to expand into a bigger institution, she also said.
For his part, DICT Secretary Rio, in a statement, said Tech4Ed Center gives a face to the agency and brings the services to the people.
Rio said the DICT exists with a prime duty to serve the people.
“I am proud of the program,” he said, adding that “the journey doesn't end here as the DICT will continue to deliver its services and systems to the unserved areas and communities.”