TESDA, Informatics tie up for training of IT novice

With a P20-million infusion for scholarships, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is opening the doors of opportunity to beginners in the information technology (IT) industry.

Partnering with Informatics College Eastwood Inc., one of the country's leading IT educational institutions, the agency will tap "non near-hires" for intensive training to soon make them eligible for employment.

"Non near-hires" are individuals with limited or no IT background, as opposed to "near-hires," who already have the background and skills set in IT, but only need honing to be absorbed by a company.

The TESDA-Informatics tie-up was formalized in a memorandum of agreement aimed to provide individuals with the relevant and up-to-date IT education to take full advantage of the high demand in the growing IT-Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.

The training will focus on Web Development and Animation, which Informatics pledged to offer in its branches nationwide in accordance with the TESDA Board-approved training regulation.

"We need to match the rapid growth that the IT-BPO industry is posting. It starts with tapping qualified individuals and giving them quality training," Villanueva said.

The crucial skill set will come through the support of the private sector such as Informatics, he added.

The P20-million fund will come from the TESDA Training for Work Scholarship Program and will be channelled to Informatics for the cost of the training and other related expenses.  At the end of the course, the students will undergo an assessment and those who will pass will be certified and get the TESDA national certificate.

Graduates will be referred to BPO firms for possible hiring. TESDA targets a 60 percent hiring rate among its students.

"We hope that through the training programs, we can improve the chances for the graduates in landing in jobs that they want," Villanueva said.

Villanueva signed the agreement for TESDA, while Informatics was represented by its vice president, Stephen Banares.