IT-BPM sector setting up ‘talent attraction’ portal

The IT-BPM industry will soon launch an online portal that will help Filipinos look for jobs that match their skills, a bid to make the industry “a first choice among new graduates.”

Top officials of the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) said yesterday they would preview the so-called talent attraction portal in September.

IBPAP president and CEO Rey Untal said the talent attraction ecosystem would help make the industry the first choice among many new graduates and those that were already in the workforce.

While Untal did not disclose details, a study released last year suggested that a big chunk of the fresh graduates preferred other industries.

According to a study by a global firm called Aspiring minds, only 4 percent of fresh Filipino graduates want to join the contact center sector, which accounts for the bulk of  the IT-BPM industry workforce.

The study covered 60,000 fresh graduates from more than 80 colleges across the country in 2016 and 2017.

Untal said the portal would make the industry “more appealing,” as it would list career opportunities awaiting anyone interested.

He said the portal would contain a quick exam. Based on results of which, the portal would suggest the subsectors where an applicant’s skills would fit. Factors that would be considered are the applicant’s educational attainment, personality and interests.

It will also help the applicant look for companies that offer the job that matches his or her strengths.

Untal said even salary scale would be shown in the portal.

Officials discussed the portal on the sidelines of the formal launch of their newly renovated office in Bonifacio Global City, which they described as a “snapshot” of the IT-BPM industry.

Catherine Salceda-Ileto, IBPAP vice chair of the board of trustees, said the efforts to put up the portal were prompted by a country audit launched last year that included data on careers.

“We had aggregated and analyzed the data on the slice for talent and we used this as a jump-off point to do a deep dive for this career marketing strategy,” she said.

“It will be very granular to the point where you’re already shopping or cherry picking a career within the IT-BPM industry,” she added.