IT students should acquire AI, soft skills to be competitive - educator

Developing soft skills and understanding artificial intelligence (AI) are two of the most important areas that today's information technology (IT) students should learn, according to an educator.

Noel Torregoza, instructional system design director at Mapúa Malayan Digital College, told GMA News Online that a student who understands how to use AI well can benefit from it in the future.

“I would say what you need would be an understanding of how to use it, when to use it, and what capabilities of AI to leverage. You just need to understand what it is that you can rely on AI on and when to best use it. That being said, you also need to understand when it requires human intervention… I think experiencing how to use AI in a mindful manner is something that will really help a lot of learners,” he said.

“In a nutshell, if the challenges or the tasks that you're giving the students can easily be done with AI, that means that task will soon become obsolete. That means that task is not necessarily something that is complex enough to require human engagement. The challenge for us now is, and the realization that a lot of us should have now is, can we now move on to more complex activities because AI can do more of the more mundane tasks for us? That truly is the mindset that people should have now,” he added.

Torregoza also emphasized the importance of developing soft skills.

“It's not unusual for us to find IT professionals who have the technical capability but may not necessarily be able to either collaborate well, communicate well, or solve problems proactively. If you think about it, once you exit school as an IT graduate, you will be relied on to build systems, make things faster, and automate processes, and in order for you to be able to do those things, you need to be able to partner well with other people,” said Torregoza, who earned a degree in organizational communication from the University of the Philippines.

“Unless you're able to take advantage of [your IT expertise] by leveraging your soft skills, your ability to collaborate, solve problems, and communicate, then you only get so far. I think that's what's kind of lacking. I think that the opportunity is still available to a lot of schools and institutions,” he continued.

Despite producing capable individuals, Torregoza said that the Philippine IT education system has flaws, such as outdated curriculum and instructional strategies.

“Whatever the demands of the sector are should also, I guess, be reflected in the educational opportunities that are made available to our learners. We need to find a way to adapt and adjust as quickly as the IT landscape does,” he added.

Torregoza recommended that schools abandon “highly traditional” methods that focus on theory and help students build practical skills.

“If you think back to some of the application experiences of our students, a lot of them fail their initial job attempts because of a lack of experience… The fact of the matter is, you're not necessarily competing with just fresh graduates for the same job. You're also competing with people who already have industry experience, who are gunning for the same position, so in order for you to be competitive in the job market, you need to be able to show something that speaks to your capability to apply the knowledge that you gain, right? And this is where I believe schools need to come in and make the adjustments,” he said.

“It's no longer enough that we just talk to the students and make them memorize a bunch of theories and principles. We need to provide them with opportunities to build their portfolio early on so that when they exit school, they can show their future employers what they're capable of and what they're able to do.”

Torregoza also advised students to stay curious and to build their portfolios.

“The IT field is changing very rapidly, and they always need to be updated on current tech and current trends. Things are becoming obsolete as quickly as they are getting produced. So, you know, just having that attitude of being curious and continuously learning is something that's very important,” he said.

“If you find an educational provider that allows you to practice, make mistakes, and learn from your experience, then that's something that really goes a long way. That's something that will set you apart from the rest of the field and make you more competitive in the job market.”

The information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry in the Philippines posted $38 billion in revenues in 2024 and employed 1.82 million people, according to the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).

By 2028, the local industry hopes to generate $59 billion in revenues and employ 2.5 million people. —VBL, GMA Integrated News