THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is set to launch its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tech Academy in Cebu on Nov. 17.
“We feel that AI will steer the next technological revolution, so we cannot pass up on this opportunity,” PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga said last week.
Stacktrek invested in a two-storey facility to host AI training sessions for ecozone worker as a joint project with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).
“There will be two tracks to this — one is through the IBPAP, which is into IT services. And the other one, which we hope to roll it out also, is on advanced manufacturing to benefit our electronics industry,” Mr. Panga said at an event last week.
The Cebu facility has more than workstations for trainees, Mr. Panga said.
“It’s an investment by the private sector. Our role, really, is (focused on) how we can mobilize the industry to support it by way of donations of equipment, and then getting TESDA on board to provide grants to workers that will undergo the AI training,” Mr. Panga told reporters separately.
PEZA is also hoping to launch AI training facilities in other key cities and provinces, including one in its main building.
Philippine workers are under pressure to upskill as more firms incorporate AI into their operations.
AI technologies can boost the Philippine economy by $31 billion, according to a 2025 report by Google Philippines and consulting firm Public First. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz