MANILA -- The IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) is partnering with Google to help upskill Filipino employees in the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) sector. 

Through its Google Career Certificates, Google will train and certify Filipinos in cybersecurity, data analytics, IT support, UX design, project management and others to help them stay competitive in the IT-BPM industry job market.

The program also gives Filipinos access to the Google AI Essentials course on Coursera, to help train them on how to make use of artificial intelligence.

IBPAP said it still needs to bridge the skills gap so it can hit its target of generating $59 billion in revenues and 2.5 million jobs by 2028.

IT-BPM sector hopes to have 1.82 million employees by end of 2024

In an October industry conference, IBPAP president Jack Madrid stressed that AI will change their industry.

"Gen AI will not replace people, but people who use Gen AI will replace people who don't. Gen AI is all about people, how work gets done, so we need to make people, not just technology, central to how we deal with generative AI," he said at the 16th International IT-BPM Summit.

“This partnership is key to reinforcing the Philippines’ position as a global IT-BPM leader, ensuring our workforce remains competitive," Madrid said about their partnership with Google.

"By equipping Filipinos with in-demand skills, we hope to contribute to the country’s economic progress and digital future,” said Google Philippines and Thailand country director Jackie Wang.

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