A GROUP of engineers on Wednesday said demand for the profession in the country and abroad would increase alongside the growth in spending for information and communications technology.

In a briefing, Ornan Vicente, president of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of the Philippines, said the demands of the growing ICT industry are posing an opportunity and challenge for the Filipino electronics and communication engineers, who will have to upgrade their skills to remain competitive.

“The ICT industry will always look for the best and brightest people for innovation. In that aspect, the IECEP is seeking to ensure that our engineers will have a competitive advantage,” Vicente said.

Citing data from International Data Corp., Vicente said ICT spending in the Philippines is projected to hit $3.63 billion by yearend, driven by huge consumer spending as well as renewed investments in ICT infrastructure by companies.

Globally, ICT spending is projected to grow by seven percent to $1.6 trillion this year.

Vicente said such growth requires more professionals in the field of ICT.

Given this, the IECEP is aiming to make the Philippines among the major players in the ICT industry by providing skilled and globally competitive electronics engineers, Vicente said.

Electrical engineering graduates in the country average about 7,000 a year.

Vicente said about 20 to 30 percent of the graduates are working abroad particularly in Singapore, the US and Middle East.

Vicente said the group plans to enter a memorandum of agreement with the Commission on Higher Education on improving the quality of engineering graduates.

The IECEP will hold its annual convention, titled “Electronics Engineers: Industry, Innovation and Ingenuity,” on November 3 to 5 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The three-day event will cover numerous technologies, which include broadcast, communications, energy and power, semiconductors and computing and security and defense.

Green technology in manufacturing and building construction, telepresence and biomedicine are also part of the presentations.

The IECEP targets about 2,000 participants to attend the forum.