SKILLS TRAINING FOR LOCAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

 SKILLS TRAINING FOR LOCAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

After all my years as a Management Information Systems (MIS) manager, I have concluded that there are always three components of a good system: hardware, software and manpower. I have also learned that hardware and software are relatively easy to procure — but finding good Information and Communications Technology (ICT) people is a different matter altogether.

One irony about good ICT people is that the good ones always get “pirated” — snatched away by better-paying firms, cities or even abroad — while the “not so good” people get left behind. That is actually one problem facing the MIS people of local government units (LGUs). It’s so difficult to recruit good ICT professionals. And if you do find them, their salary expectations are often so high that they may approach or even surpass those of department heads.

Then there is the problem of turnover again. As soon as they acquire good experience and build up a decent resume, they move to cities for better jobs or even go abroad and become overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Because of this, it is very common to see MIS staff in LGUs who are “square pegs in round holes” — meaning they are not genuine ICT professionals, yet are hired into ICT roles. Many are put into positions not meant for them, and they in turn are asked to perform ICT-related tasks. The result? Chaos. The MIS department suffers.

This situation becomes even more acute when the demand for ICT skills rises — as it has been doing — because LGUs don’t only seek automation and digitization, they are reaching into more advanced innovations: blockchain, artificial intelligence, data governance, and so on. To paraphrase, at risk of sounding simplistic: the solution is to train more people in ICT skills so that no matter how fast turnover happens, the MIS departments can keep up with the demand.

From an economic perspective, it is a simple matter of supply and demand. As long as there is a better supply of well-trained ICT people, it matters less how high the demand goes. Recognizing that need, I teamed up with an ICT company and a TESDA-accredited training institute, to help train many ICT practitioners at the LGU level. The goal: to bolster the manpower base of LGUs, and thereby improve system quality and digital service delivery.

We will begin with courses in foundational courses, but depending on LGU needs, we can expand to other digital transformation modules, including cybersecurity. That is why I am helping the company Sciontech to enter into a joint venture with Clear Vocation Institute — to deliver training for LGU ICT staff and enlarge the pool of competent digital-public officers.

Why this matters

Some recent data underline why this push is timely:

• The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is targeting an increase of some 8 million digital-jobs by 2028, which would bring the total employed in the digital economy to about 19.3 million Filipinos.
  
  

• A World Bank report found that in the Philippines only 25.8% of youth and adults have the basic ICT skill of sending email with file attachments, and fewer than 1 in 10 can use spreadsheets with simple formulas or create electronic presentations.
  
  

• The DICT-led Tech4ED program is building learning hubs in underserved communities: for example, San Carlos City in Negros Occidental established 17 Tech4ED centers since 2015, producing thousands of graduates in basic and intermediate digital skills.
  
  

• The National ICT Month initiative notes that local leaders, ICT offices in LGUs and citizens need capacity-building in digital literacy, e-governance and advanced ICT — not just technologies but skilled users and operators. 

• A legislative push is underway: for instance, Senate Bill 1943 proposed that each LGU must have an ICT officer with legitimate ICT credentials — which speaks right to the heart of the manpower shortage issue.
  
  

My comments and suggestions

1. Training is necessary but not sufficient: It’s not just about giving people tickets for a course. We must ensure that the training is relevant, that the graduates are employed in real ICT roles in LGUs, and that they are integrated into teams which respect their value. Too often, training graduates still get stuck in mis-allocated jobs or end up leaving anyway.
   
   

2. Competitive remuneration and career paths: If we train people only for them to exit for better offers, the cycle continues. LGUs need to devise retention strategies: clear career paths, market-competitive salaries (within LGU budgets), project-based incentives, recognition of ICT specialists, so they don’t feel they’re doing “extra” work without reward.
   
   

3. Standardizing hiring and roles in LGUs: The absence of credible hiring standards means that ICT roles in LGUs are sometimes filled by generalists or non-ICT persons. The proposed SB 1943 is a good move. LGUs should adopt hiring frameworks: require ICT degree or certification, define job descriptions clearly, and ensure the incumbent is a true ICT professional.
   
   

4. Modular skills frameworks: For LGUs, I suggest adopting a modular training framework (for example):
   
   

• Governance & Ethics: transparency, accountability in ICT use, for LGU officials and barangay captains
  
  

• Digital Transformation: e-governance, data systems, cybersecurity, for IT staff and planning officers
  
  

• Community Engagement: participatory planning, feedback systems, for CSOs and youth leaders
  
  

• Circular Design & Livelihood: linking digital tools to local livelihood initiatives (e-commerce, waste-to-resource) for local artisans and cooperatives
  The advantage: this allows LGUs to pick and choose modules according to their specific needs and local context.
  
  

5. Partnerships matter: The public-private-academia partnership is key. The DICT + ILO + Japan collaboration for the first Digital Transformation Centre in Pampanga is a good example. LGUs should be encouraged to partner with accredited training providers — TESDA schools, ICT companies, civil service bodies — to scale skills training locally.
   
   

6. Measure outcomes: Skills training must produce measurable outcomes: number of trained ICT officers in LGUs, reduction in turnover, improved system uptime, lower manual processes, faster permit processing, etc. If the MIS department of an LGU still cannot fill roles or the staff keeps leaving after six months, we have to re-examine the model.
   
   

7. Leverage the national momentum: We are already seeing national-level efforts: the Philippine-Singapore tie-up to improve the digital leadership competencies of 10,000 civil servants. LGUs should tap into such programs, not reinvent the wheel.
   
   

In short: if LGUs are serious about digital transformation (and they should be), then focusing on hardware and software alone is insufficient. As I’ve observed over decades: you can buy the latest server or license the smartest software, but if your manpower is not trained, stable and professional, you will have systems that don’t deliver. Training large numbers of competent ICT people in the LGU environment is not optional — it is foundational.

If nothing else, the data show we cannot afford to lag in digital skills. The Philippines has long been behind in basic ICT skills among youth and adults. Unless we invest now in building a resilient, local ICT manpower base — for our cities, municipalities, barangays — we risk having “digital systems” that are really just digital versions of manual chaos.

So yes: let’s train more, train better, make roles real, keep talent local — and then the hardware, software and manpower will actually work in harmony.

Ramon Ike V. Seneres, www.facebook.com/ike.seneres

iseneres@yahoo.com, senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/04-12-2026