The PUP ICT Center: a blueprint for change / Theresita V. Atienza

Year : 2005

Number of Pages : 39 leaves

Adviser : Dr. Elvira A. Zamora

Executive Summary

Mandated to provide technical and professional instruction and training to almost fifty-five thousand (55,000) students, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines is the largest state-owned university in terms of student population. It's goal for the next century is to be a world-class institution supporting technological progress through research forging strong linkages with industry, government and other universities and educating students to thrive in a knowledge-based economy amidst a global environment. As an initial strategy to achieve this vision, the PUP Information, Communication and Technology Center was launched in 1998. It was conceived to support electronically mediated education, undertake research and development in ICT and develop, test, prototype and incubate ICT enterprises. At a core of convergence and change and grounded on the principle of quality and responsive service, the PUP ICT center is expected to bridge the gap between industry and university researches by evolving into the PUP Technology Management Center (PUP TM)-a center that will provide industrial technology managers and the wider technology management community with a unique resource to explore effective technology management practices anchored on the components of ICT. This project is primarily a knowledge management appraisal of the PUP ICT Center to provide baseline data for the preparation of a blueprint for the PUP ICT Center's metamorphosis into the PUP Technology Management Center. It will use the systems approach as framework for analysis. The target output of the project is a comprehensive technology capability index of the PUP ICT Center as benchmarked alongside other university-based ICT centers as a starting point for its conversion to the PUP TM Center. The work plan has been designed to be completed in twelve weeks from March 15, 2004 to June 15, 2004. The PUP ICT Center is ably headed by a Director and supported by eighteen (18) full-time staff that have appropriate college degrees and ten (10) on-the-job trainees from the Colleges of Computer Management and Information Technology (CCMIT) and Engineering (CE) on a regular basis. While the infrastructure is comparable with other state-of-the-art university-based ICT centers used as benchmark, its use has not been fully maximized. Most services undertaken by the Center such as those in education and training, research and program development or network installation and management, are not regular since they rely heavily on manpower. The unit has recurrently experienced an exodus of manpower since its wage rate is way below industry standard, working conditions are not conducive and time flexibility is restricted. This recurrent flight of manpower had led to an unstable organizational structure. To cross the chasm between what is and what can be for the PUP ICT Center, a three-pronged approach, sustained by the creation of a foundation that would serve as a business development arm of the unit, is proposed. The first point should allow for infrastructure maintenance and upgrading while policies on human resource development should be at the core of the second point. The third point should focus on services and business development outlook.