CDO launches AI training for out-of-school youths

ABOUT 15 out-of-school youths (OSYs) of Cagayan de Oro City will undergo a six-month course on artificial intelligence (AI) that will ensure their immediate employment, Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy said on Monday.

‘There’s no school or university in Cagayan de Oro City that’s offering this course. So this is (a golden opportunity for you) and you are already given uniforms, meals and allowance so you won’t have any excuses not to attend classes. That’s why I’m telling both the scholars and their parents not to waste this opportunity,’ Mayor Klarex said in Visayan to those attending the flag-raising program in

Barangay Bayanga. The pioneer batch of beneficiaries taking up the AI course are undergoing training In a facility near one of the city’s malls, Mayor Klarex said. The facility is provided by Thor Turrecha, a Kagayanon developer hailing from Barangay Canitoan who worked in various IT companies abroad and is lending his expertise to the program that will be expanded in the upcoming City Community College project, Mayor Klarex said.

The development and use of AI, often associated with machine learning, is a fast growing field that’s projected to automate manual labor and low skill office jobs in the country and the world in the next few years. AI use was especially pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when customer interaction was restricted online to minimize human contact.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said in 2021 that AI will become the next BPO industry that is projected to add $92 billion in revenue and employment in the country’s economy in 2030.

In his message Turrecha said the six-month AI training course offered by City Hall is a first for the country’s public schools since AI entails four years of study and covers