The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) recognizes its crucial role in establishing the necessary policies, ecosystem, and infrastructure to empower the workforce with the flexibility to continually relearn, retool, and upskill themselves, thereby maintaining competitiveness in their professional careers. 

To further strengthen the DICT upskilling ecosystem, DICT and DICT- ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau (ILCDB) have forged a partnership with Coursebank in December 2021. This collaboration aims to create a platform for local training delivery, addressing the need to continue capacity-building initiatives despite the constraints imposed by the government’s face-to-face interaction restrictions due to the increasing number of COVID-19 infections. 

The selection of courses within this program is informed by reports from the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Survey 2020 and Coursera’s Global Skills Report for 2021. These reports have identified digital skills gaps and future skills categories required for emerging jobs, assisting leaders in designing effective upskilling programs. The program aims to contribute to the country’s economic growth by focusing on these emerging jobs. 

The objective of this collaboration is to enhance the skills of the Philippine Government’s Information Technology (IT) professionals, enabling them to effectively drive successful digital transformations within their respective agencies, local government units (LGUs), or state universities and colleges (SUCs). Additionally, the program aims to train the next generation of government IT professionals, equipping them with cutting-edge technological tools and skills in emerging fields such as AI, Big Data, IoT, and Cloud. 

Developing and Deploying Localized Massive Open Online Courses 

This component of the project expands the current efforts of the DICT to expand its library of localized courses. Doing so ensures the long-term accessibility and availability of course content, enabling a more significant number of learners to benefit from these resources. 

The training program is delivered entirely online, supported by a mobile app, short lessons, offline access, and interactive transcripts and notes. Participants who complete the courses will receive digital certificates. 

Coursebank has developed a total of 36 FREE courses starting in July 2022, aligned with the DICT’s priority areas to address the digital skills gap in the country.  

Digital Life Skills: These courses aim to equip employees with the necessary skills to function at a minimum level in society, providing them with a foundation for utilizing ICTs in the modern world.

1. Digital Citizenship and Civility in the Workplace 

2. Navigating Google Workspace 

3. Microsoft Productivity Tools 

4. Workplace E-mails Made Easy 

5. Designing Presentation Slides 

Basic ICT Skills: These courses provide a working understanding of essential ICT concepts, cutting-edge technologies, and emerging fields, enabling individuals to become more well-rounded digital participants. 

1. Digital Innovation in Government 

2. Analytics for the Public Sector 

3. Internet of Things Using Arduino in TinkerCad 

4. Big Data Fundamentals 

5. Introduction to Data Privacy 

6. Data Privacy – Good Governance 

7. Digital Transformation 101: Reimagining Businesses 

8. Intermediate Level of Digital Transformation 

9. Advanced Level of Digital Transformation 

10. Intermediate Level of Software Engineering 

11. Basic Level of Cloud Computing 

12. Intermediate Level of Cloud Computing 

13. Advanced Level of Cloud Computing 

14. Advanced Level of Software Engineering 

15. Basic Level of Software Engineering 

Digital Jobs PH: This category offers free technical training for individuals aspiring to work as online freelancers.  

1. Principles of Web Development and Introduction to HTML 

2. Using HTML and CSS to Design a Website 

3. Basic Javascript for Web Development 

4. Project 1: Developing a Static Website 

5. Introduction to Android Application Development 

6. Basic Building Blocks of the User Interface 

7. Android Fragments 

8. Using Firebase as an Application Backend 

9. Fundamentals of Marketing 

10. Digital Marketing Channels and Funnel 

11. Copywriting: Basics, Advertising Copy, Trends in Art and Design 

12. Social Media Marketing 

13. Principles of Design 

14. Canva for Graphic Design 

15. Trends in Art and Design 

16. Functional Composition