Mandaue initiates call center manpower training

The Mandaue City government is initiating a manpower-training program to provide personnel needs of growing call center investments in the city.

Through its Integrated technological and entrepreneurial development (I-TED), which is a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) accredited manpower training agency, the City is initiating a call center manpower training to make it easier for call center operators to locate in Mandaue, said Jonkie Ouano, executive assistant of the Mayor.

"We make it easy for the call center companies to open shop in our city as well as help them look for the manpower they require," Ouano said in an interview.

Mandaue City has also installed the Technical employment and deployment office (TED), to facilitate the job matching for the I-TED produced skills.

"Apart from other technical skills we offer, like in manufacturing, we are now focusing our effort to develop the availability of employable call center representatives that we consider as 'economic warriors'," he said.

Ouano said it's about time for Mandaue City to provide support to firms that produce these 'new age economic warriors', thereby improving the purchasing power of working community and boost the economy.

The I-TED office will offer advance communication skills that would address the needs of manpower shortage among existing call center companies that are expanding, as well as those that are planning to open their businesses in Mandaue.

He stressed that although the program is initiated and be provided free of charge, training will not be limited to Mandaue residents, however enrollees coming from the City will be prioritized.

Currently, Ouano is talking with big call center companies in Metro Cebu for their additional manpower needs, and specific programs to be implemented by the I-TED in order to effectively provide the training.

Soon, I-TED will ink a partnership with these call center companies in Cebu to help the agency produce the right skilled workers needed for the industry.

"The course content will be determined by the industry players. Hopefully we could start the first batch of this program by October," Ouano said.

TED office was able to help a total of 7,431 Mandauehanons land jobs from 1999 to 2004. Today, around 700 more had been given employment opportunity.