IT Skills Framework at Pointwest is IPA Japan’s Case Study for the Philippines

Jig
October 19, 2012

Manila, Philippines — With the recent citation of the Philippines as a mature location for software services, talent development becomes even more important. For leading IT and Business Process Services provider Pointwest, however, this has always been a top priority.

With more than 900 Filipino IT professionals in its employ, Pointwest sees its talent development and management programs as one of its differentiating factors. “Our best assets are our people,” said Chona Ahorro, Director for Human Capital Management (HCM).

 

The company’s competency management framework, which was largely based on the Skill Standards for IT Professionals (ITSS) model, is the subject of IPA’s pilot case study for the Philippines. The IPA, or Information Technology Promotion Agency, is Japan’s leading organization devoted to IT security and IT human resources development.

Pointwest was one of only three Philippine-based IT companies the IPA selected in July 2011 to participate in the pilot study. The study aims to gauge the effectiveness of the ITSS model in the Philippine work setting. Participating organizations were given 24 months to roll out and monitor the framework’s performance.

The company’s commitment to the ITSS model’s implementation is the focal point of IPA’s case study, which will be presented in video format. Various scenes were shot at Pointwest’s delivery center in Quezon City (UP-AyalaLand TechnoHub). Masayoshi Tsuru and Nobukazu Kawabata, two of IPA’s key people, also flew in from Japan to oversee production.

The final video, which would narrate Pointwest’s experience in rolling out the ITSS model, will be show at the Skill Standards User Conference in Japan this December.

Now on its sixth month of implementation, Pointwest is finalizing competency indicators, roadmaps, and training matrices, as well as reinforcing its education framework.

After completing the rollout, the company expects better talent management, starting from recruitment, and leading up to performance management and succession planning.

According to Ms Ahorro, better talent management not only increases talent retention, but also improves overall efficiency. “Everyone will be on the right track in their career, making them more productive and fit for their role,” Ms Ahorro said. “This will make the Pointwest experience more fulfilling for our employees.”