IECEP seeks educational changes to keep Phl competitive

MANILA, Philippines - In its bid to turn the Philippines as a major supplier of skilled technical professionals in the electronics engineering field, the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines (IECEP) is urging the government to make the necessary changes in the country’s educational system, starting with an evaluation of colleges and universities that are offering electronics and communications engineering courses.

In a meeting with journalists recently, IECEP executives said many engineering schools in the Philippines have been performing below par with their graduates failing to pass the board exams for electrical and communications engineering (ECE).

As a matter of fact, in the April 2011 board exam for ECE, out of more than 7,000 takers only a little over 1,000 passed.

The IECEP executives also noted that some schools have seen zero passing rates in the board exams and even those at the top of their ECE class failed to pass.

IECEP president Ornan Vicente said the problem lies with outdated engineering curriculum and even the inclusion of subjects that hold little to no significance to the course that the students are taking.

As such, IECEP is asking the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to evaluate engineering schools and identify those that have not been performing well in terms of graduates passing the board exams.

Vicente said fixing the education system in the Philippines is a key factor in ensuring that the Philippines continue to create quality professionals.

He emphasized that the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry continues to look for skilled workers in both hardware and software development.

Citing reports from International Data Corp. (IDC), Vicente said the global ICT markets would reach $1.6 trillion by 2016. In the Philippines, the ICT market size would reach $3.63 billion by the end of 2011.

These figures indicate the need for more people to serve the requirements of the ICT market, both locally and offshore, Vicente said.

“Electronics and communications engineers are among the building blocks of the ICT industry because they are the ones who contribute to the creation of the core components that make ICT technologies run,” he said.

Vicente said the IECEP is supporting the implementation of the Department of Education’s K+12 program, which adds two years to basic education.

The rationale is that all the basic learning subjects will be learned within the first 12 years of education, with the students focusing on the core subjects of their chosen course.

Vicente added that the organization is also working on developing a set of standards for the Philippines that are based on the Washington Accord, an internationally recognized engineering standard that accredits engineers’ capabilities to fill specific skills requirements.

“We will be applying for participation in the Washington Accord next year,” he said.

As part of its education activities for the coming years, the IECEP is holding its annual International Electronics Conference and Exposition Philippines 2011 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Nov. 3-5.

With the theme “Electronics Engineers: Industry, Innovation, and Ingenuity,” the expo will showcase the latest electronics and communications equipment, trends in ICT, as well as different aspects of electronics in various other industries.