PARTNERSHIP. Further enhancement of the capabilities of the Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center was discussed during a meeting between Ma. Cristina Orbecido (3rd from left), vocational school administrator of NOLITC, and Mary Jane Agonace (right), director of the Department of Information and Communications Technology - Negros Occidental on Feb. 19, 2024. Joining them were project development officers Red Dawn Laurente (left) of NOLITC and Gian Joy Catiempo of DICT-Negros Occidental. (Photo courtesy of DICT Negros Occidental Provincial Field Office)
BACOLOD CITY – The provincial government-owned Negros Occidental Language and Information Technology Center (NOLITC) is seeking an upgrade into a higher digital learning facility with its impending transfer to a bigger campus in Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City this year.
Ma. Cristina Orbecido, vocational school administrator, said in an interview on Tuesday that they would work on the requirements once they move to what will become the NOLITC Global Campus.
“We will apply with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) when we move to the new campus. Our target is to do it within the year,” she said.
The NOLITC, the first and only government-run language and IT school in Western Visayas and accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, is located in the province’s Negros First Cyber Center within the Paglaum Sports Complex in this city.
Orbecido recently met with Mary Jane Agonace, provincial director of DICT-Negros Occidental Provincial Field Office, to discuss ways to enhance the capabilities of NOLITC, which is one of the nationally recognized Tech4ED model centers by the DICT.
“Our recent engagement with the NOLITC marked an important step towards upgrading it into a Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Level 3 facility,” Agonace said.
Tech4ED, or Technology for Education, Employment, Entrepreneurial, and Economic Development Project, provides access for individuals and communities to bridge the digital and education divide through information, communication, technology, government services, non-formal education, skills training, telehealth, job markets, and business portals.
It was renamed DTC as part of a nationwide network of physical hubs designed to spearhead capacity development initiatives in rural areas.
Level 1 DTCs are partner-managed Tech4ED Centers assessed to have met the requirements for upgrading into a DTC.
Level 2 DTCs are DICT-owned facilities capable of providing access to basic online training via live stream or massive open online courses.
Level 3 DTCs have an area where ICT training can be conducted, with two to three training spaces equipped with an Internet connection, video conferencing equipment, and co-working spaces to support local micro, small and medium enterprises and start-ups.
The DICT elevated NOLITC to the Hall of Fame of the National Tech4ED Awards in 2018 after three years of being a Center for Excellence.
The NOLITC Tech4ED Center, which started in 2016, has been recognized for achieving consistent exemplary performance in delivering sustainable ICT-enabled services and for exhibiting commendable impact in the growth and development of the community. (PNA)
