TO BUILD is not only to build with cement and other construction materials. Traditional politicians always want to build roads, bridges, buildings, gymnasiums, and coliseums because these are the easiest projects to plan. Sadly, traditional politicians are too lazy to think of new things and building structures is alleged to be the easiest way to steal public funds or get private bribes.
But real leaders build other things - not concrete, but things that will make help connect, bridge, and fortify a brighter future.
These are Filipinos working silently to push for the Filipino brand of services, of products, advocating for sustained quality, for global standards, and for innovations.
This January is the ideal time to rev up our gears for innovation. In my radar this month are several individuals and entities striving to make the necessary change, such as, a team promoting policy and programs to promote Philippine products and services using big data - discussion around how to include the countryside and how to build stronger “bridges” to global markets.
There’s also Philippine company wanting to “gamify” HR systems and platforms for higher and more creative productivity such as how to build stronger, more productive, more creative PH workforce. There’s a Negrense C-level executive exposed in financial and banking global services that wish to help build a stronger digital ecosystem in Bacolod and wanting to understand how to expose and help the whole community to global developments to create jobs and opportunities.
There’s a big IT-BPO company wanting to expand to the Visayas and understanding the talent pool and quality of each city especially in terms of software development, and they wish to help build a strong and steady talent pool by investing on training. There’s a Philippine company that promotes “smart power” and desires to build an efficient and sufficient power ecosystem to fuel the growth of companies and jobs in Negros Occidental.
Imagine the impact of all these innovation to Bacolod and Negros Occidental. I know I am just Citizen Jocelle now and I also know I can only catalyze people and collate data but I am praying I can still do something.
I constantly share and drive the point that we need people to get their hopes high on innovating instead or glamorizing nonsensical things. We have many professionals and mid-level career workers with core skills who are either unemployed or underemployed simply because they do not understand the value chain in global services and the technologies that disrupt the workplace today. They continue to think that with the knowledge achieved from their four year, masteral or doctoral course, they will have enough opportunities. Sadly, they continue to think that the types of jobs and opportunities ten years ago require the same skill sets today.
Over the last five years, foreign companies off-shoring and outsourcing their requirements to the Philippines and searching for high-level professionals and employees from HR, finance and accounting, medical and health related services, legal and public sector services, engineering, architecture, and industrial services have visited Bacolod and Negros Occidental and other cities in the country.
The global jobs that afford a Filipino the chance to be part of global teams and brands, projects and companies are coming to the countryside. Sadly, many of our professionals leave their cities to employ as workers doing menial jobs in other countries. Things that are way below their so-called course or profession, thinking there are no jobs. That’s the irony of it all.
On one hand, these big companies specializing in KPO and shared service facilities, higher value jobs and positions come to our cities expecting to find these professionals - but they mostly find entry level workers and fresh graduates who are bold to take on digital careers. But does not have the portfolio or work experience necessary for the position.
How do we resolve this scenario? I think mid-level career professionals should read about Future of Jobs, instead of waiting to become totally obsolete. If there are those of you reading this, let leaders know because they need to create upskilling and re-skilling workshops for you. So you can make use of your core skills as a nurse or accountant or engineer and become a global professional. We need more jobs and job generation is a serious business.