CEBU CITY – The city government here is determined to maximize the competitive advantage of Cebu’s information and communications technology (ICT) sector by allocating P900,000 to help fund its project dubbed “Cebu City ICT/Call Center Training Program.”

“We have to complement the increasing demand for highly skilled ICT manpower demand. The supply of manpower in this field is not enough. There has to be a pro-active coordination between government, private sector, as well as the academe,” said City Councilor Edu Rama, who is chairman of the Department of Public Services of the City Government.

The Cebu City ICT/Call Center Training Program which was spearheaded by former City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is aimed to strengthen another training partnership with Lexmark and Global technology company NCR (National Cash Register) Corporation. It is also in close partnership with the Technical Educational Skills and Development Authority (TESDA).

According to Rama, a budget allocation of P900,000 will be used, among others, to benefit the training of at least 30 to 35 near hires who will undergo a skills enhancement program conducted by ICT experts and programmers from NCR and Lexmark.

It was learned that this public-private sector partnership in providing free skills training to Cebuano residents followed after the successful joint training program with the Aegis People Support to provide free-training for Cebu City residents which supposedly cost P3,500 for a five-week skills development training at People Support’s training arm called Aspire People Solutions Inc.