TESDA opens 175 technology scholarships for women

The International Labor Organization and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have opened 175 scholarships for women in the Philippines to venture in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)- related careers.

The scholarship program is supported by the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, according to ILO.

The program is part of the #womencandoIT scholarship program under the Women in STEM program of ILO in the Philippines, and is part of celebrations during the National Information and Communication Technology month.

“Women in STEM-related industries across South-East Asia face various challenges that reduce entry, retention and advancement in these industries. This scholarship program seeks to encourage more women to explore and to find more training and employment opportunities in Information Technology-related training programs given the future of work,” said Khalid Hassan, director, ILO country office for the Philippines.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Information Technology and Business Process Management sector is among the largest employers of women in the country, where 53 percent of its employees are women—significantly higher than the national figure of 39.6 percent.

The sector has created an average of 100,00 new jobs every year, growing from 527,000 full time employees in 2010 to 1.1 million in 2016.

“This scholarship program aims to spark interest and train women in STEM-related industries. This will also ensure training and employment assistance to companies who are in need of workers in the IT-BPM industry,” said TESDA Director General Guiling Mamondiong.

Women can avail themselves of scholarship slots for technical-vocational education trainings for animation, game development and web development. Training programs range from two to seven months at partner schools in Taguig, Las Piñas, Quezon City, and Pasig.

The scholars will receive career coaching that will enhance their employability in the information technology workplace, according to ILO.

Women applicants can apply at the Human Resource Development Institute (Taguig), Top Peg Animation (Las Piñas), Bayan Academy (Quezon City), and MFI Polytechnic Institute (Pasig).

They must at least be 18-45 years of age, a high school graduate, interested and passionate about technology. Deadline for applications is on July 2, 2018.

The ILO Women in STEM Workforce Readiness and Development Program in the Philippines is funded by JPMorgan Chase Foundation. It seeks to provide women with critical soft and technical STEM-related skills, employability, and leadership training coupled with targeted mentorship to help women gain quality employment and advancement opportunities in STEM-related jobs. —VDS, GMA News