Impact Assessment of RIS Technical Training: A Community Extension Project

Rural Impact Sourcing (RIS) Technical Training is a community-based technology education extended by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in cooperation with the Local Government of Buenavista, Guimaras and Guimaras State College- Community Extension Services. Rural Impact Sourcing Technical Training aimed to bridge digital gap by providing digital access and informal skills training to the “unserved” and “underserved” communities and to increase access to digital markets and business process outsourcing (BPO) in far-flung communities with high unemployment rate and to bring jobs to the countryside. The study determined the effect of the RIS Technical Training and the beneficiaries’ skills they acquired from the training. Mixed method of research was utilized in the study. Survey questionnaire and interview were used in gathering data. Results show that out of 24 beneficiaries, 62.50% (15) were into the business process outsourcing sector with clients abroad, 3 or 12.50% were employed by the LGU while the remainder, 6 persons (25%) were still finding jobs. The average income of beneficiaries with jobs was about forty-one thousand pesos (₱41,000.00). With the positive results of the project, it is recommended to replicate this project to other municipalities in the province to bridge digital gap to the communities. It is also suggested to conduct more ICT trainings to be used by the beneficiaries to earn additional income even though they are at home.

Keywords – Guimaras State College, impact assessment, RIS, community extension, Buenavista.