“Because IT is not just information technology- IT is an infinite technology.”
These words from Richard Lapizar, the IT Manager of TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc. (TVIRD), sum up the reasons why the Human Resource (HR) department initiated a series of half-day training courses on the Microsoft Excel Program to employees in Canatuan, site of its copper-zinc mining operation. “There is so much to discover, so much to apply and upgrade. IT is a never-ending endeavour of learning, advancing, and experiencing hands-on trainings,” Lapizar said.
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Above: Richard Lapizar, IT Manager of TVIRD, explains the various work applications that employees can do with the MS Excel program. Below, participants listen intently as they become familiar with the “tricks” they can perform with the software.
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Employees representing every department attended with interest and appreciation, as every click and slide of the mouse allowed them to see the endless possibilities of the Microsoft Excel program.
“The training adds knowledge especially on fast access, sorting, and on gathering of data in our database. We can immediately present the table of properties from the start of the plant operations until now,” Boots Tamala, Senior Mill Supervisor shared.
For some, it was the first time discovering the basics of a spreadsheet, the creation and modification of worksheets, the formatting and enhancement of workbooks, and the presentation of a more organized report. “That is why, on the first day of the first leg of the three-part workshop, the basics were introduced,” Lapizar averred. For the other employees who attended the basics course, despite having a working knowledge on the Excel program, it served as a review and awareness of the latest updates on the software.
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“Certainly this training is applicable in my work. (Left) Linda Osorio, CReDO Project Coordinator and (right) Rey Romero, HR Site Manager says, “The training is useful in our programs and activities for the employees.” Below: HR Staff (left to right) Maribeth Mampon, Pilar Cordero and Rubelyn Torres enthusiastically join the training, “to be able to extend better services to the employees.”
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“Certainly this training is applicable in my work. When gathering data and making my liquidation reports, the innovation of transferring data with just one click hastens the work especially in meeting deadlines,” Linda Osorio, CReDO Project Coordinator commended.
“The learning was fun and we wish we had more time for the hands-on training. It was very informative,” Jogie dela Rosa, CReDO Community Facilitator said.
The intermediate course covered topics such as worksheet editing and formatting techniques, applying conditional formatting, creating templates and formulas, basic charting techniques, mail merge and creating lists.
“The knowledge we get from this training is applied most especially in our HR activities—the monitoring of manpower requests and recruitment updates, HR IS, calculations, and formulations. It is both efficient and effective,” Rey Romero, HR Site Manager – Canatuan said.
The Excel advanced course, covered the application of pivot tables and the recording of macros. “I learned everything about the macro. It helps in the preparation of our repetitive reports. With just one click, everything is programmed. This is indeed a big aid when it comes to our daily reports. It also lessens human error,” Edgar Israel, Chief Metallurgist said.
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Left to right: Boots Tamala, Sr. Mill Supervisor; Ed Israel, Chief Metallurgist; Jojie de la Rosa, Community Facilitator, all express appreciation to TVIRD for the benefits they get from the training.
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According to Lapizar, the Excel training was first conducted at the company’s Makati office for half a day. It only covered the basics and intermediate courses. In Canatuan, the three-part excel workshop was extensively discussed and applied in a series of half-day sessions.
“The training in Excel has multiple benefits. For the individual employee, it is maximizing the program so that they can present, organize, analyze and even evaluate data that they deal with in the performance of their work. For the team, it is collating information, especially for generating reports like production output, in an efficient and easy to understand format. It is always important to build on and improve the skill sets of our employees,” Yody Marzo, HR Director, commended. “For the company, it is all about improving productivity. The Excel program is a productivity tool. If our employees can use this tool to improve their efficiency, then we maximize their time and hopefully improve the overall productivity of the whole organization,” she added.
Vice President of Finance, Luis Jovito Santos, came to Canatuan to give his support to the program. “These productivity tools will surely equip the participants with plenty of skills that they can apply after the training,” he said.
Lapizar, a Microsoft Certified Professional, came from an IT Training Institute which conducts trainings on Microsoft Excel among other Microsoft programs. The series of half-day Excel training in Canatuan was conducted as part of HR’s program to enhance and upgrade the skills of TVIRD employees.
Other training programs which the HR department plans to roll-out are: the cost-benefit analysis course, which aims to improve the quality of the justifications necessary when preparing AFEs; Critical Thinking Skills , which provides the employees a structured and systematic approach in solving problems and making decisions; and the “teach to learn” program on leadership.
“IT is not just information technology. It is an infinite technology. What they learn here in Canatuan will stay with them. It is an investment,” Richard Lapizar disclosed. (Rianne Angeles)