Need to focus on upgrading IT skills of Pinoys cited

The government must also concentrate on upgrading the information technology skills of Filipinos rather than just encouraging investors to set up call centers in the country, Chito Salazar, president and chief executive officer of Systems Technology Institute (STI), said yesterday.

"While call centers offer immediate job opportunities, they are basically dead end, unless the skills of the operators are upgraded," Salazar said.

"The government should instead concentrate on other information technology skills such as software development, graphic design and animation and Internet programming which involve more value-added skills," he explained.

Call center operators, Salazar said, are simply required to posses a fundamental skill just like in the garment industry.

He also said it requires very little investment in terms of infrastructure since all it needs is a temporary work space which can easily be closed once the life of the call center is over.

Salazar’s observation is opposite to the view of Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II who has been strongly supporting the proliferation of call centers in the country.

Roxas even proudly announced that workers in call centers are highly paid and face a bright future as they are no ordinary telephone operators as they are required to possess the ability to seek and provide information to their clients.

While Salazar acknowledged that the IT sector is experiencing a slump, he said the future will require continuing IT skills which schools like STI are providing.

STI is embarking on a global expansion to reach the ordinary housewives and even truck drivers.

Initially, STI has granted a franchise for an STI branch in Bangladesh.