Presented during DevCon Summit 2016 #DevFutureForward on November 5-6, 2016 at SMX Convention Center Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

2. The State of
Philippine Programming Talent
Joey Gurango
Managing Director
GURANGO Software Corporation
PROXOR Philippines

3. Backgrounder
• Joey’s been in PH software development business since 1991.
• Received 15,000+ applications for entry-level programmers.
• Conducted 1,200+ evaluations of entry-level programmers.
• Hired 250+ entry-level programmers.
• Applicant-to-evaluate-to-hire ratio is 25:5:1.
• To hire 1 entry-level programmer, we must evaluate 5!
• Time-consuming (2 to 3 hours)
• Expensive (senior developer’s time)
• Wouldn’t it be great if the ratio were 5:3:1?

4. “The Holy Grail” ratio >>> 5:3:1
• 5 entry-level Applicants = 3 Evaluations = 1 Hired
• This ratio is only possible if all applicants are >= average
• The quantity & quality of entry-level programmers in our
organization determines:
• volume of work that can be accomplished
• long-term viability of our business
• This presentation will be about the quantity & quality
of entry-level programmers in the Philippines

5. What has Joey
been up to in the
last 12 months?

6. Stalk me on FB @JoeyGurango

7. Gurango Software Corporation
Last month, we turned 13 years old!

8. LaunchPad Program

10. Conducting a Landmark Study
to Assess our Entry-level
Programming Talent
October 2015 thru September 2016
An presentation of the initial results of the study

11. The Primary Source of
Entry-Level Programming Talent
Academic Institutions offering COLLEGE DEGREES in
Computer Science, Information Technology, and Information Systems

15. Critical Issues Impacting QUANTITY
• Enrollments in BS.CS and BS.IT programs have been
declining since SY2005 (an 11 year trend).
• K-12 program has reduced enrollments for SY2015 and
SY2016. Enrollments will not rebound until SY2018.
• 90% reduction in BS.CS and BS.IT graduates for the years
2019, 2020, and 2021.
• Where will our entry-level programmers come from during
the years 2019, 2020, and 2021?
• What is the QUALITY of this declining talent pool of
entry-level programmers?

16. Landmark Study:
To Assess the Quality of Filipino
Entry-Level Programmers
Based on PROXOR authentic examinations

17. Assessment Tool used for this Study
• PROXOR authentic examinations were developed at the
Computer Science Dept. of the Carnegie Mellon University.
• Funded by the World Bank for deployment in Kenya, Africa.
• Measures actual programming SKILLS, not just KNOWLEDGE.
• Examinee must solve problems by coding, debugging, and compiling in an IDE
• Automated code validation using an AI-based engine (very scalable).
• Vendor-neutral and language-agnostic.
• Can RATE examinees consistently, reliably, and affordably (₱5,500/exam)

18. What is a PROXOR rating?

19. Landmark Study:
The Participating Schools

20. Inside NCR (10 schools)
• STI College - Cubao
• Technological Institute of the
Philippines (TIP)
• Technological University of the
Philippines (TUP) – Manila
• University of Santo Tomas (UST)
• University of the East – Caloocan
• Asia Pacific College
• Mapua Institute of Technology
• Polytechnic University of the
Philippines (PUP)
• San Sebastian College – Recoletos
de Manila
• Southville International School

21. Outside NCR (18 schools)
• AMA Computer College
• Bago City College
• Binalbagan Catholic College
• C. Hilado Memorial State College – Alijis
• Cebu Institute of Technology Univ.
• Kabankalan Catholic College
• La Consolacion College – Bacolod
• Northern Negros State College of
Science and Technology
• Southland College
• STI College – Dagupan
• Technological University of the
Philippines (TUP) – Visayas
• University of Cebu – Banilad & Main
• University of Luzon
• Univ. of Negros Occidental – Recoletos
• University of St. La Salle
• West Negros University

22. Most Students Assessed

23. 558
STUDENTS
ASSESSED

24. Gender of Students Assessed

25. Landmark Study:
Summary of Assessment Results
Based on PROXOR authentic examinations

33. Next Steps for this Landmark Study
• Expand participation from 28 to 100 schools (approx. 10% of all schools)
• Assess an additional 1,500 students to insure valid representation
• Assist participating schools on curriculum improvement to address the
deficiencies identified by their students’ PROXOR assessments
• Introduce PROXOR authentic examinations to PSIA member companies to
synchronize their entry-level programmer assessments with the schools
• (ACCENTURE is a global PROXOR partner company)

35. 4 Key Takeaways
1. There will be a drastic reduction in the QUANTITY of BS.CS and
BS.IT graduates during the period 2019, 2020, and 2021.
2. Most female entry-level programmers are less-skilled than their
male counterparts.
3. The QUALITY of entry-level programmers from BS.CS programs is
several magnitudes higher than those from BS.IT programs.
4. The overall QUALITY of Filipino entry-level programmers
is below global standards.

36. 3 Calls to Action
1. Evangelize programming as a career choice.
2. Encourage more female students to go into BS.CS.
3. “Adopt” a school to help improve their faculty skills and methods of
instruction.

37. Thank you!