As part of capability-building initiatives concerning skills development on Information Technology for its employees, the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, organized its first face to face training workshop after the IATF eases the restriction Level of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Board conducted a Web Development Training using WordPress with Elementor Plug-ins in Baguio City on 26-30 April 2022. The training aimed to equip the Board’s webmasters with technical knowhow in developing and enhancing the NCMB Central Office and regional branches’ websites.

Mr. Mark Oliver A. Nicolas served as the resource speaker of the activity. He is an expert in web development and is knowledgeable in providing front-end web development skills using the existing application on WordPress with Elementor Plug-ins. He was a former Web Design (WordPress) Instructor of CIIT Philippines and American TESOL Institute.

Mr. Nicolas discussed the functionality of WordPress and Elementor Plug-ins and provided the necessary fundamentals on the usage of WordPress applications, plug-ins and the advanced applicability of Elementor Plug-ins. He also discussed the different methods of web development through local hosting and web hosting. Through his guidance, the participants were able to customize the interface of the branch websites in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Department of Information and Communication Technology. Equipped with the basics, the participants underwent hands-on workshops on their own to include features required by the RID staff.

“As a rookie in web development, this training is a great privilege for me to dig deeper into its procedures, to get to know and to learn from others”, Phoebe Jay B. Pagdato of RCMB VI said as she affirmed her commitment to improve the branch website for the viewing public.

Mr. Rey Kelly A. Larce of RCMB V on the other hand, said that the web development training is a great refresher and additional skill for them in maintaining their respective websites. He added that through the branches’ websites, the Board creates a bridge to reach both the management and labor sector especially in this time of pandemic.

Mr. Ralph Rivera of RCMB X vowed to improve the content of RCMB X website to serve its purpose in information dissemination and transparency. “I will do my best to improve our website and view this as my first challenge since this task reflects the performance of the Branch and the Philippine government in general”, Mr. Rivera further said.

Executive Director Maria Teresita D. Lacsamana-Cancio graced the activity. In her brief message, ED Lacsamana-Cancio enthusiastically announced the result of the Board’s Quality Management Systems Surveillance Audit. “The Board passed the QMS surveillance audit with flying colors and the Board likewise received for two (2) consecutive years an Unqualified Audit Opinion – the best opinion rating given by the Commission on Audit” she said. She added that the commendation is a result of the efforts of the men and women of the Board. She reiterated the importance of everyone’s contribution to both technical and administrative personnel and reminded everyone to continue to inspire hope and contribute positive contents to the Board’s online webpages and social media pages. She also commended the officials, support staff and facilitators for making the training/workshop conducive to new learnings.

The seminar concluded with Internal Services OIC Director Edithliane P. Tadeo closing message to the participants. She thanked the participants for their active participation and hoped that they would be able to apply their learnings to their respective offices/branches.

In general, the training activity garnered positive feedback from the participants as it gave them knowledge regarding web development as they deem the skill is highly technical but interesting.

END/ianne r. go