Collaborative thrust for Digital Skills Readiness

Educational institutions need the support of the government and the private sector to address gaps in digital skills readiness. To survive and live through the pandemic, consumers must have the competence to use digital technologies effectively, safely, and responsively.

More resources must be invested in people, focusing on their IT skills training, to develop a fastexpanding community of digitally empowered consumers. It is critical that we raise the competence of our educational institutions in integrating digital readiness content in the learning curriculum as a pre-requisite to ensuring inclusive digital transformation forthe people.

With this, Citizen Watch Philippines calls on the government and the private sector to strengthen the Department of Information and Communications’ digital readiness programs such as the National Broadband Plan, Free Wi-Fi for All Program, and Common Tower Initiative.

Sustaining support must be given to DICT and DepEd’s Digital Learners and Teachers Project, The ICT Academy Project under the Digital Workforce Initiative for the upskilling of Filipino workers, and the DICT’s educational portal for training the government workforce.