Philippines urged to invest in training for tech entrepreneurship  

MANILA, Philippines — Investing in the development of education infrastructure and providing training in technology entrepreneurship are some areas that the Philippines must work on to be able to attract more foreign firms to set up technology hubs in the country, according to a Japanese cloud-based solutions provider.

“The Philippines has an opportunity to attract more foreign companies to set up tech hubs in the country that serve the wider ASEAN region, especially for software development and engineering talent,” Sansan  Inc. executive officer and head of overseas establishment Fujikura Shigemoto told The STAR in an email interview.

“This will be a boost to foreign direct investment into the country’s economy, supporting the government’s agenda,” he said.

Shigemoto said the Philippines government and workforce should be mindful of the following criteria in order to become a more competitive regional hub for tech talent.

“First, it must increase access to quality education and training by investing in developing its educational infrastructure and provide targeted training in key areas of technology and entrepreneurship,” Shigemoto said.

“This should include initiatives to partner with leading technology firms and educational institutions to provide enhanced educational opportunities and training programs,” he added.

In addition, Shigemoto said the Philippines should also create an attractive business and investment climate that is conducive to technology investment and talent development, including policies that encourage innovation, reward entrepreneurship, and reduce barriers to entry for tech start-ups.

The company official said the Philippines must continue to invest in infrastructure and prioritize those that would foster the development of technology talent such as high-speed broadband, telecom networks, and digital infrastructure.

“Next, it needs to promote talent mobility by creating policies that make it easier for skilled workers (in our case this may be from Japan) to move to the country and to remain in the country,” Shigemoto said.

“This should include clear and simple immigration policies, as well as visa and work permit policies that make it easier for talented workers to stay and work in the Philippines,” he said.