PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan (PIA) — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) aims to increase IT-related programs in the province to strengthen the value chain that drives the economic growth of Palawan.
Provincial Director Gerardo Mercado observed that agriculture and tourism are the main drivers of the local economy in Palawan and wants to incorporate information technology programs into the value chain.
“Nakita ko na very limited ang IT programs na available sa probinsya. Sa ngayon, ang available ay computer system servicing, buong probinsya ng Palawan ay ‘yon lang halos ang IT-related program. Wherein sa province ay dumarami na rin ang IT-BMP company pero nakikita namin na wala ni isa mang school o training center tayo na nag-offer ng contact center,” he said.
The absence of training institutions will be a challenge to produce quality manpower, even as information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) companies increase in Palawan.
It is also ironic that Puerto Princesa has been included in 25 digital cities, yet IT programs are not available in the city and province, he said. TESDA Palawan, Puerto Princesa School of Arts and Trade (PPSAT), and the Provincial Training Center will do the planning to focus on agriculture, IT, and construction.
“Ito yong mga bumubuo ng complete value chain para talagang maka-contribute tayo dito sa economic development ng probinsya,” he said.
Registered training centers and schools will also be encouraged to increase programs for agriculture, tourism, IT, and construction. The IT-related programs may also be available in island towns through the mobile training programs of those accredited training schools that have registered with TESDA. (RPG/ PIA Mimaropa – Palawan)
