More gov't funding for call center skills training pushed
The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) is pushing for increased government funding for skills training programs that will allow more high school graduates, college undergraduates as well as unemployed professionals to qualify for good-paying jobs in the booming call center industry.
The labor group made the appeal shortly after it completed the one-month skills retooling of more than 1,400 trainees for call-center jobs.
"The initial training program has been a huge success, with over 70 percent of our graduates instantly qualifying for full employment in leading multinational call center operators," TUCP spokesperson Alex Aguilar said.
"We intend to sustain and expand the program, as long as government and private sector support will continue to come in," Aguilar said.
"TUCP will definitely continue to carry out its share in human resources development for call centers because, right now, they are the biggest drivers of new employment," he added.
President Macapagal-Arroyo's Training for Work Plan and The Department of Labor and Employment's Technical Education and Skills Development Authority co-sponsored the initial phase of TUCP's finishing program for call centers.
Under the program, Filipinos aged 19 to 55 and interested in acquiring the skills that will enable them to land call center jobs simply have to pass a computer-aided language-screening test.
Those who pass the test will be granted training vouchers. The vouchers entitle them to join TUCP's 100-hour skills retooling program.
Driven mainly by call centers, the country's technology-enabled services are projected to directly engage 1,082,800 workers and generate US$ 12.2 billion in annual revenues by 2010, according to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines.
The services encompass customers care; back office; medical, legal and other date transcription; animation; software development; engineering design; and digital content.
Call centers alone are expected to fully engage some 506,500 Filipinos by 2010. This more than double their current employment of 229,000.
(PNA)