Tax perks sought for ICT training

The Arroyo administration is being urged to give tax incentives to information and communications technology (ICT) training to attract companies to invest in more ICT education.

According to Chito B. Salazar, president and chief executive of System Technology Institute (STI), granting incentives for ICT training would improve the standard of the country’s information technology and consequently produce the right mix of IT graduates.

Salazar said incentives should be given not only to firms providing training for special skills, but also for companies that have practicum programs for ICT students.

He expressed the belief that ICT students would greatly benefit from the full integration of the classroom and the school’s partner company. This is so, Salazar said, because while the ICT students are learning basic ICT skills, they also gain work experience.

Government, Salazar said, should encourage corporations to invest in ICT training since ICT schools only provide students with broad skills.

According to him, corporations should be the one to teach specific skills as part of their corporate responsibility.

Salazar cited the practice in the field of banking. He pointed out that when students graduate from a management course and go to work for a bank, the bank does not expect them to know specific banking skills.

Thus, the banks, Salazar said, take on the corporate responsibility of training the new management graduates about banking.

Salazar stressed that it is important for the government to focus on polishing human resources to advance the country’s global competitiveness in IT.