THE government has committed P740 million to jumpstart large-scale training and upskilling for the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) sector, the IT Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said on Tuesday.
IBPAP in a social media post said the investment kicks off in the second half of 2025 and will equip trainees with digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills.
This will contribute to the goal of 340,000 scholars over three years, it said.
The group said in the post that its board recently met with officials of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) to align on program strategies.
IBPAP officials could not be reached for further comment but on April 26, the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) said that at the 8th Meeting of the Council’s Digital Infrastructure Sector with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the president endorsed the allocation of upskilling budgets for up to 340,000 IT-BPM workers, including near-hire individuals and college students.
This initiative is seen as essential to ensuring the country’s global competitiveness as AI reshapes the workforce, PSAC said in the statement.
Myla Villanueva, PSAC Digital Infrastructure lead and MDI Group Holdings Inc. chairperson, was quoted by PSAC as saying the budget allocation will help prepare the workforce for the ongoing AI-driven transformation of the global economy.
Malaya Business Insight on April 30 reported that the IB-BPM sector expects to cross the $40-billion revenue mark in 2025, and
to hit a 2 million full-time-employee (FTE) count in 12 to 18 months.
IBPAP data showed that in 2024, the sector recorded $38 billion in revenues, up 7 percent from $35.5 billion in 2023. The industry generated an additional 120,000 jobs in 2024, ending the year with 1.82 million FTEs from 1.7 million in 2023.
