Government employees numbering 1,100 have trained through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation, or ITEC, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran has said.

Kumaran said that more Filipino government workers are set to undergo training courses under ITEC to equip them with the skills to do their jobs better, resulting in improved public service.

The training programs include artificial intelligence, cyber and engineering technologies, audit, law enforcement, agriculture, health and yoga.

“These courses will help officials improve their functioning when they come back to their respective countries. There were short and long courses given that were focused on professional competence,” the envoy told reporters on the sidelines of ITEC Day 2024 in Makati Shangri-La on Thursday.

He said that in 2023, 40 employees were sent to India for the ITEC, including officials of the Philippine National Police, Commission on Audit, and the Philippine Coast Guard, among others.

“We are targeting over 50 this year. There are 70 slots available for the Philippines, depending on the utilization of courses. The more the utilization, the greater number of slots will be allotted to countries,” he added.

ITEC delegates are sent to India to study for one to two weeks, he said.

ITEC is a flagship program of the government of India offering demand-driven and response-oriented training courses to public professionals from partner countries across the globe, including the Philippines.

Since 1964, ITEC has reached an estimated 300,000 participants from 160 partner countries.

“When we gained independence, we made it a point that we will share our capacities with the governments of Asia, Africa and Latin America. It brings a sense of solidarity among nations. Right now, we are looking at more specialized courses related to defense, Coast Guard, and national security, among others,” the envoy said.

“We found that the PCG is very receptive to our courses, especially maritime operations and pollution control. We are seeing this as a capacity-building initiative,” he explained.

Representing the PCG in India was LT. JG. Lawrence Soriano, who thanked the Government of India for equipping him and a comrade on courses regarding maritime protection.

After nearly 50 years, two Philippine Army officers also joined the prestigious Pre-Commissioning Regular Course at the Indian Military Academy.

The Indian government maintained that capacity-building cooperation is an important strand of the development-oriented partnership between India and the Philippines.

Government departments and other public institutions are free to nominate their personnel for ITEC courses that are relevant to their development needs.

For Philippine participants, the program is fully funded by the Government of India including round-trip tickets, accommodation and study tours.