eAcademy aims to sustain rising demand for IT pros

To sustain the growing demand for highly-skilled information technology professionals, an IT training firm and a business software solutions provider opened the eAcademy in Cebu.

Kaisa Consulting and SAP's Cebu eAcademy is the first locator of the Technology Business Incubation center of the University of the Philippines-Visayas.

Kaisa Consulting business development manager Urk Acapulco said that the company has set up an online training center, the eAcademy to develop the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) culture in the southern Philippines, while providing IT professionals' easier access to SAP's specialized skills, which are strongly in demand around the world.

 "Right now, SAP is the hottest IT skill. The Philippines only produces 900 SAP consultants, only 40 percent of them are still working here, the rest are already working in high-paying jobs abroad," said Acapulco.

In the past, IT professionals based in Cebu had difficulty in availing of SAP educational skills training, because it was only available in Manila. This time, Acapulco said IT professionals will have an easy access to get SAP skills training at an affordable payment scheme.

 Normally, SAP training offers very expensive fees, however, in order to fit the financial capacity of Filipino potential IT engineers, a 200-hour worth of training (five months) which costs P100 thousand will be offered via six to 12 months installment.

Although, it is an online training, he said enrollees still have to go to the eAcademy at UP Cebu as online class will be done simultaneously with other trainees.

Modules being offered have become very popular, including financials, human resource, sales and distribution, procurement or material management, among others.

This is part of SAP and Kaisa's Advanced Business Application Program, to develop SAP literate corporate professionals, and even IT geeks.

In India alone, demand for SAP literate professionals reached over 100 thousand. The establishment of eAcademy in Cebu will not only provide easier access to professionals to job opportunities abroad, it will also create a good and top notch pool of SAP literate community.

Last year, SAP Philippines SAP Academy program was introduced in Cebu, together with Kaisa Consulting, in a move to help curb the draining supply of good IT skilled professionals here.

This educational support program was created to develop a pool of good SAP software solutions troubleshooters while there is a growing number of companies using SAP software products. — Ehda M. Dagooc