Many Filipinos have lost their job during the pandemic. Last August alone, the Department of Labor and Employment reported more than 22,000 displaced workers. Business Mirror PH projected the number to reach more than 30,000 by the end of the same month. Sadly, the global health concern continues to persist. At this rate, job losses is expected to skyrocket. Fortunately, in light of the recent events, other opportunities have opened up for tech and internet savvy folks. For example, online work such as digital marketing, social media marketing and website development has become increasingly important as businesses all over the world shift to digital.
FREE SMM and Advertising Course to Qualified Scholars
To keep up with the surge of digital marketing talent demand, the government has been pushing various programs to upskill Filipinos. Recently, the Department of Science and Technology have sponsored thousands of hopeful Pinoys to access online courses in Coursera. I was among the lucky grantees. Since October, I have been taking courses to further expand my knowledge in my industry [SEO, content marketing, and digital marketing]. Besides the DOST Coursera scholarship, there are other upskilling initiatives launched by he government.
In fact, last October 27, the Department of Information and Communication Technology – Luzon Cluster 1 announced the opening of their SMM and Advertising course to qualified residents of Pangasinan. It’s a 16-day training program, consisting of 4-hour sessions. The program aims to teach students the skills needed to become an SMM and Paid Ads professional. The course is totally FREE for students who will qualify in the examination and interview conducted by DICT-Luzon Cluster 1 Digital Jobs PH committee. There are only limited slots so interested students/professionals/residents of Pangasinan are encouraged to apply right away and await the screening process.
To qualify, scholars need to meet the following requirements:
- Must be a Filipino Citizen
- Has a desktop or a laptop to participate in class
- Must have stable internet connection
If you would like to apply for the grant, go to https://bit.ly/DJPH-SMM-07 and fill out the form.
Filling a growing talent market demand
Branches of digital marketing such as social media marketing and paid ads are the among most sought after industries today. Businesses, both here in the country as well as overseas, are tapping into online marketing to reach more audience and ultimately boost their sales. As of the moment, the country has a huge talent gap in this industry. and the demand for online marketing continues to increase. Sadly, while a lot of Filipinos are online savvy, not a lot know how to maximize their skills to earn money. After all, there are plenty of technicalities involved such as:
- Tracking social media insights
- Conducting market research
- Performing competitor branding
- Establishing business branding
- Hashtag and keyword research
It’s definitely possible to opt for a self-taught path, but it does take time. With formal training, you can learn the basic tenets of social media marketing and paid ads. From there, you can conduct experiments to test your learning and come up with your own strategy. With the SMM and advertising course, you can soon become part of the ever-growing and vibrant digital marketing talent pool of the PH.
Kudos to the government
DICT-Luzon Cluster 1 has launched the same course back in 2019 and has produced social media savvy graduates. These graduates now take on SMM and advertising jobs. The program is a part of a nationwide initiative which aims to equip Filipinos with the necessary skills needed to land jobs in fields like graphics design, social media marketing and advertising. If you’re interested to be a part of the workforce, you should definitely take advantage of the opportunity.
They have yet to provide a date for the examination and interview, so interested applicants should check the DICT-Luzon Cluster 1 Facebook page for more updates. We’ll keep you up-to-date with their SMM and advertising course so stay tuned here at UPICT.
About the Author
Philline Isabel Amado is a freelance SEO writer who loves sharing her passion for the ICT industry. She currently helps the UPICT organization create relevant and up-to-date content for the members and ICT enthusiasts in Pangasinan.