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IBM to teach, train 30 million people with digital skills by 2030

Multinational tech company IBM recently unveiled its plan to provide 30 million people of all ages worldwide with new skills “for the jobs of tomorrow.”

IBM announced a roadmap with 170 academic and industry partnerships across the Americas, Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, including a collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines. These extend to non-government organizations as well, particularly those that focus on groups such as underserved youth, women, and military veterans.

IBM Philippines President and Country General Manager Aileen Judan-Jiao highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on raising the demand for new skills, jobs and roles regarding data and artificial intelligence. “IBM sees the need to collaborate with government and academic institutions to equip the future human-led and technology-enabled workforce of our country with both disruptive technical skills, specialized industry skills and core business skills, to remain competitive,” she said.

According to the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines, the IT and business process management (IT-BPM) sector grew by around 1.8 percent in terms of manpower and 1.4 percent in terms of revenue last year despite the pandemic. As the industry moves up the value chain, the association sees the shift to higher-level skills to continue. By 2022, as reported by Frost & Sullivan, 73 percent of jobs in IT-BPM will require mid- to high-level skills.

“Today’s collaboration… in bridging [the] digital talent gap will help Filipino students improve [their] skills and employability, facilitating their access to and transitions in the marketplace as our country continues to be a rich human capital of the world,” Judan-Jiao added.

Through the Philippine Business for Social Progress, IBM pushes to expand the adoption of the four- to six-year and cost-free P-TECH school model across Metro Manila. According to IBM’s website, P-TECH is a public education model that provides high school students from underserved backgrounds with the academic, technical, and professional skills and credentials they need for competitive science, technology, engineering and mathematics jobs.

“Enabling our workforce to realize their full potential and equipping them with the right mix of skills for the future of work is vital as digital economy in the Philippines continues to gain ground,” said Wilfredo Cabral, Director of DepEd National Capital Region.

Aside from P-TECH, IBM boasts of its diverse education portfolio with an adaptable approach that strives to be unique and effective. The company explained its belief that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work when it comes to education.

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