THOLONS, Intl. CONDUCTS SKILLS ASSESSMENT FOR LEGAZPI'S LOCAL MANPOWER

In year 2010, the city of Legazpi has been ranked 12th among the Next Wave Cities by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and the Business Processing Association of the Phl (BPAP) as a favorable destination and location for ICT businesses. There were four criteria set for the ranking following the industry scorecard and these include: Infrastructure, Talent, Cost of Doing Business and the Business Environment. Among the four components, Legazpi scored low under Talent and this challenged the city government to look into the reasons behind especially so that it aims to reach the Top 10 category in year 2011.

Given the above challenge, the City Government of Legazpi, in partnership with the Albay Information and Communications Technology Association, Inc. (AICTA) and the Legazpi City ICT Council, has tapped the services of an international consulting firm, THOLONS, Inc. to do the IT-BPO Skills Assessment & evaluation of the city's human resource potentials and capabilities in response to the big challenge raised by industry as regards to the city's readiness and capability in hosting potential ICT-enabled investors and locators.

The skills assessment will be conducted on February 1-4, 2011 and will be participated-in by 500 graduating students from the following participating schools:

1. Bicol University
2. Divine Word College of Legazpi
3. Bicol College
4. Ago Medical & Educational Center-Bicol Christian College of Medicine
5. SL Technological College Foundation
6. STI College-Legazpi
7. AMA Computer College-Legazpi Campus
8. De Vera Institute of Technology
9. Mariners' Polytechnic Colleges Foundation
10. Computer Arts & Technological College
11. Tanchuling College
12. Aquinas University of Legazpi

Results of the said assessment will serve as an important input not only to the City Government in its effort to develop programs and projects to prepare its local talents but most importantly to the participating schools in trying to adjust or match their respective curricular offerings to the requirements of the industry. It is further hoped that the study (assessment) will give a true picture of the status of the existing readiness and capabilities of the local talents so that investors and locators will come in and provide employment and income to the local manpower pool.