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CICT Taps ITFP as Industry Assessment Partner
Dateline: 22 November 2005
The Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), the highest policy-making body of government in ICT has appointed the IT Foundation of the Philippines (ITFP) as one of its industry partners in providing technical manpower resources towards the promotion, development and implementation of competency-based training, assessment and certification in the country.
In a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed during ceremonies at the Intercontinental Hotel, November 22, 2005, CICT and ITFP agreed to collaborate and jointly promote the widespread use of competency-based standards, assessment and certification for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry.
According to ITFP President Mr. Jun Malacaman, the ITFP, for the past three years, has been working with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in developing training standards for ICT workers and is now ready to take on the more difficult task of providing and/or sourcing assessment tools and certification to measure and ensure worker’s competence in the workplace.
ITFP is the umbrella organization for ICT in the country and is represented by the largest ICT associations including the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), COMDDAP, Philippine Computer Society (PCS), Philippine Electronics and Telecommunications Federation (PETEF), Government Organization for IT (GO-IT), Philippine State Universities and Colleges Education and Systems Society (PSUCCESS), Philippine Association Data Entry Corp. (PADEC), IT Association of the Philippines (ITAP), Philippine Association of Private Schools Colleges and Universities (PAPSCU) and the Information Systems Security Society of the Philippines (ISSSP).
With this signing, the ITFP can now formally and officially work with other assessment and certification bodies for recommendation to and endorsement by the CICT. At present, only assessments and certifications from the major vendors like Microsoft, CISCO, and Oracle have general industry and employer acceptance. Their high cost, however, has prevented the majority of new ICT graduates and employees from taking these certification exams or assessments. Although there are many other internationally accepted, though non-vendor assessments available, their entry and adoption locally has not gain acceptance due to lack of promotions and endorsement from industry or the government. This ITFP and CICT collaboration will seek out the legitimate assessment and certification providers to provide not only local but international status to certified ICT workers.
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nationally or internationally recognized assessment and certification system is one way of ensuring that the country’s ICT graduates live up to the expectations of the industry and the employers, whether locally or abroad. The Philippine Computer Society, one of the ICT associations under the ITFP umbrella has endorsed the ICDL certification. Philnits, formerly JITSE, has also succeeded in getting their certification endorsed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for national acceptance. Certified Philnits workers, according to Philnits President, Marikol Akol, are assured jobs in Japanese companies or entry in Japan.
The CICTs goal is to have 800,000 ICT workers by 2010 as part of the 10 million jobs targeted under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s 10-point agenda. This collaboration with the ITFP is definitely one move that will help make that happen, according to Secretary Virgilio Pena, Chair of the
CICT.
Under the memorandum of agreement just signed, the ITFP shall promote and advocate among its members and the employing public the use of competency-based standards in training and assessment of ICT workers. This means the schools and many of our country’s ICT training institutions will have to adopt competency-based training if they want their graduates passing the assessment and certification as demanded by industry.
The CICT shall provide the policies and guidelines in implementing competency training, assessment and certification in ICT and ICT-enabled occupations or areas of workplace competence.
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