THE TECHNICAL Education Development and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is developing its first software development and animation training curricula to be implemented in two new IT training centers this month. Co-developed by TESDA with the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) and the Animation Council of the Philippines Inc, (ACPI) the training curricula are for basic to intermediate learners, part of TESDA’s human resource capacity building for the growing Philippine software development and animation industries. The two new training centers were built as part of a 5 million-dollar Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) program to help build Philippine human resources. The first KOICA-funded training center is in Quezon City, the second in Bulacan. TESDA IT program director Maria Susan dela Rama said in an interview that TESDA initially worked with the ACPI and PSIA to know what their requirements were in hiring new employees. “They had specific needs and so we had to come up with learning courses that will fast track the skills capabilities of those wanting to enter into these professions, especially since the software development and animation industries are already growing really fast,” dela Rama said. In addition, she said, the agency would follow up the development of new curricula for the contact center and medical transcription industries. De la Rama pointed out that TESDA does not intend to compete with schools that already have curricula in software development and animation but will augment existing skills and prepare potential employees for work in software companies and animation houses.

Source: Villafania, Alexander. "TESDA developing animation, software development curricula." Inq7.Net. Feb 19, 2006 Updated 02:22pm (Mla time). 2-20-2006.  http://news.inq7.net/express/html_output/20060219-66698.xml.html

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