ICT players encouraging youth to take up engineering courses

CEBU, Philippines - Major players in the information and communications technology industry have encouraged more youth to take up science and engineering courses to respond to the growth of the industry.

Developers Connect Philippines Founder Winston Damarillo said that there should be a sustainable supply of science and technology graduates as there is a hungry workforce in the industry that needs to be solved.

“What we label our students after they graduate breaks the quality. We have to get our graduates practice on their particular field,” he said.

He also noted that higher compensation and unpreparedness to be employed are the reasons why there are a number of graduates who are pirated to the call center industry rather than being software engineers.

Damarillo admitted that trainings for six to 12 months could get those graduates to become productive; however, some companies cannot afford such expense.

He further said that universities and colleges should focus on a quality-education commitment aimed to shape up high-quality students equipped to be competent in the actual working environment.

Mark Buenconsejo, co-founder and general manager of Caresharing Inc, said that parents should encourage their children to take such courses and talk more about it.

He added that DevCon has been consistent in peer level training and skills uplifting projects as a self-starting means for the younger generation.

“It’s not immediate but we need that to happen,” he said.

DevCon bridges the gap between the academe and the IT industry to build a community of developers and IT enthusiasts where they can cooperate, collaborate, and build the future of the country.

On the other hand, Alvin Gendrano who is currently working for Microsoft as the Director of Business Management for the Business Platform Division said that the lack of employment in the IT market issue has to be addressed.

With the plan of a five-year roadmap for the software industry in the Philippines in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology, he added that the country should focus on capability development, producing employable graduates to fill the growth of the industry.

Such significant growth, he said, could attract a lot of investors and pool of experts to fuel that up as they market Philippines as a provider of solutions on software problems. — Grace Melanie I. Lacamiento

Moreover, Philippine Development Corp. Chairman Diosdado Banatao agreed with other technopreneurs, saying that it has to be the educational supply which has to be dramatically improved.

He added that PhilDev is granting a one-million scholarship programfor each of the 151 students to attain college degrees in science and engineering courses.

He said that the organization loves to fund those natural students to become engineers in the future, giving them the rare privilege to help one’s country.

With enough knowledge and effort towards higher learning and research, he noted that everything is possible in technology since it is limitless, drawing out more and more opportunities offered for start-up companies.

“It’s up to their passion. Just go and dream, then change yourself. The system is there to help you,” he stated. 

Offering free leadership, technical training and industry exposure, Banatao believed that the industry also plays a significant role to upscale the skills of the students.

From a humbling experience as a Silicon Valley visionary, he added that it’s up to those “natural” engineers to have courage in taking risks as they would eventually enter the world of technology.

“There are million kids out there who could start what I had done with the opportunity. If I was able to do that, there is a lot out there who could do the same thing. It can be done. Just be patient with it. Develop it once, block it a time,” he advised.

Meanwhile, Gregg Victor Gabison, President of Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology and Dean of the College of Information, Computer and Communications Technology of the University of San Jose – Recoletos, noted that companies have to extend to the universities, allowing the students to have the time and venue for a touch-based immersion in the industry. (FREEMAN)