THE information technology and business process management (ITBPM) industry can help lift more Filipinos into the middle-income status, IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (Ibpap) President and CEO Jack Madrid said.
In a virtual briefing on Thursday, Madrid said the ITBPM industry is a critical pillar of the economy, as more than a million families rely on this sector for livelihood.
Madrid said to further expand the industry and create more quality jobs for Filipinos, Ibpap continues to tap opportunities in its primary market, North America, while exploring other markets with growing demand for Philippine-based back office services, including Asia-Pacific, Australia and the United Kingdom.
"The ITBPM sector was once dominated by just two countries — India and the Philippines. But now, we're seeing other markets, like Poland, Egypt, South Africa and Vietnam, emerging as competitors. Each market has its own unique value proposition, and while we are still one of the leaders, maintaining our position will require us to continually improve our skills and services," Madrid said.
Ibpap Chief Operating Officer Celeste Ilagan added that the industry group will be joining investment missions of the Department of Trade and Industry in Japan and Europe to attract more global shared services companies to locate their back office support in the Philippines.
Moreover, Ibpap Executive Director for Talent Development Frankie Antolin told reporters that there is an increasing demand for workers in ITBPM subsectors such as animation and game development, health care, accounting, and other financial services, among others.
"These are the areas that we are hearing our industry members struggling to find talent," Antolin said on the sidelines of the International ITBPM Summit at Okada Manila on Wednesday.
MoA with DepEd
Meanwhile, Antolin mentioned that the Ibpap and the Department of Education (DepEd) are working on a partnership to help senior high school students become employable in ITBPM companies once they graduate from Grade 12.
"So the senior high work immersion program enhancement is something that we have been talking to DepEd about. And we're happy that there's traction," she said. "We are in the final stages of the MoA (memorandum of agreement) with the Department of Education."
"So our intent is to help the senior high school students, graduates, become more employable, more time in work premises, more exposure in the workplace — if we could, maybe transfer some of the learning that employers would give to newly hired employees," Antolin added.
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