Information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) is undoubtedly one of the top industries driving the Philippines’ economic growth. Although the country is among the top two IT-BPM service providers in the world, experts have emphasized that industry practices must continuously improve as technology evolves quickly to remain competitive.
For EY Global Delivery Services (EY GDS) Philippines, industry players, education providers, and government agencies who met at the IBPAP (Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines) CEO Forum, one of the best ways to address the rapidly shifting talent demands across multiple sectors is to focus on agile people development strategies and harnessing synergy to develop talent in IT-BPM.
In this matter, there is an undeniable urgency. Raymond Garret Go, EY GDS Philippines Consulting Leader stressed, “While we’re talking about building homegrown talent, industry peers are also doing something about this. Many nations are aggressive when it comes to developing talents. Hence, local industry players must step up, collaborate, and build our talents with future-focused skills.”
This necessity was also highlighted by IBPAP president and chief executive officer Jack Madrid, who said that IT-BPM is among the few industries where the country can claim to be a world leader.
Building up talents would require different sectors to work together: the government, IT-BPM companies, and educational institutions.
Continuous workforce upskilling
An essential component of developing talent involves sustained training – something that shouldn’t stop when candidates graduate and enter the workforce. For the IT-BPM industry, providing this support is a non-negotiable as the industry anticipates rapid technological changes.
“Careers are changing rapidly so there is a need to be flexible and agile. We have seen major black swan events in the past two years. We must build the capacity for optionality to account for uncertainties in the world,” Go said.
At EY GDS for example, professionals go through continuous upskilling and reskilling. Learning in the company comes from on-the-job experiences, certifications, and formal classroom sessions. At every stage of their career, people have access to learning opportunities that help to strengthen foundational skills significantly and develop specific competencies depending on the skill or area that needs reinforcement.
An example is the EY Tech MBA by Hult – the first-ever fully accredited corporate MBA available regardless of role or position and entirely free for all 300,000-plus EY professionals in over 150 countries.
In addition to the upskilling opportunities for its professionals, EY GDS also helps students develop industry-ready skills through the EY GDS Academia program. Recently, select university students in Cebu completed a tech skills course designed by the EY GDS Philippines Consulting team. Top students in the program also received an opportunity to expand their learning via the EY GDS internship program.
“By creating opportunities like these, we’re able to support and build the talent of the future effectively,” Go said.
However, Go added that “although EY teams are focused to investing in the education of the people, we can’t build talent for the industry alone. This important task requires an agile and aligned response from different sectors.”
Laying the groundwork
Based on the IT-BPM Roadmap 2023-2028, the industry targets an additional 1.1 million full-time employees in the next six years. Hitting the targets means the Philippines can become the world’s leading experience hub for digitally enabled and customer-centric services, driving inclusive and sustainable growth across the country.
In this light, the government is actively supporting the growth and expansion of IT-BPM capabilities in the country.
For instance, during the IBPAP CEO Forum, Nelly Nita N. Dillera, Executive Director, Department of Trade and Industry – Philippine Trade Training Center presented the Philippine Skills Framework. This framework is a reference for employers to identify the skills a potential employee must possess to fulfill a job role, for job candidates to determine the skills they need for their career paths, and for training providers to update curriculum, syllabus, and content responsive to industry requirements.
Providing a perspective from the academe, Dr. Roberto Galang, Dean, Ateneo de Manila University – John Gokongwei School of Management said, “After the COVID-19 pandemic, we realized that a lot of things we have been teaching need to be upgraded and accelerated.”
He emphasized the benefits of multi-stakeholder cooperation: “If we partner with other sectors, especially those in the IT-BPM industry, we can co-design future programs to supply tomorrow’s talents.”
With a clear vision mindful of people’s potential, leaders and sectors must work together and become a driving force for talent development in a business landscape underscored by change.
