BPO training facility aims to meet industry demands

A new call center training facility recently opened its doors to train a potential pool of talents required by this flourishing outsourcing industry.

This comes as a welcome development for BPO stockholders who are concerned about the growing insufficient supply of qualified call center agents.

Enovlink Training Center (ETC) recently kicked off with its operation at the 3rd floor of the Angelica Building in Osmeña Boulevard and is bent to provide professional career enhancement and performance improvement trainings to “near hire” or call center applicants who failed to get a job in the industry or those who are interested to apply.

“There is a very big demand for call center jobs in Cebu and it will grow even bigger but we do not have the capacity to fill up the seats because only a few applicants pass the qualifications. These people have the potential but they just need further training and change of attitude,” said Dr. Evan Ng Mendoza, chief executive officer of the training center.

The courses offered at the Enovlink Training Center include English Language proficiency and fluency, accent reduction, call center 101, customer service training, job placement assistance and they also give financial management trainings and even confidence development.

“We know the requirements needed for call center agents, our trainers have a long experience working in the industry and they have high hit rates so trainees are assured to get the job. Our courses also help young people make better living in the call center industry,” said Jing Escaño, VP for marketing and communications.

Currently, Enovlink Training Center is establishing ties and partnerships with major call center companies in Cebu and they have already stirred interests from companies such as Sykes, Western Watts, Icomm and they are hoping to soon deliver graduates for pooling in other major firms as well.

The center offers two and a half weeks or 100 hours of training in accordance to TESDA requirements for about P4, 000.

Escaño said that after starting operations this month, they have already started accepting enrolees who are mostly mothers.

Enovlink Training Center accepts undergraduate trainees and degree holders such as graduates who could not find a job in their respective degree or courses or are looking for greener career opportunities in the contact center industry.

Mike Murphy who oversaw the Philippine operation of Convergys in 2003 said that only three to five percent of applicants usually end up getting accepted in a call center job but about 10 percent of the 95 percent who failed have an edge to be hired but they lack the required skills.

He said that through training centers like Enovlink these potentials could be harnessed so that they could be hired and make up for the growing demand.

Murphy also added that as contact centers in Cebu continue to grow, their demand for labor pool will continually increase.

For the city to compete in the global arena, the city should be able to supply this growing demand so that investors will not decide to leave and go somewhere else, he said.

“The Philippines is certainly the place for outsourcing because Filipinos’ nature is well-suited to work in the industry as you have cultural awareness of the Western world. Training centers like Enovlink will be beneficial for the industry to provide applicants the skills required by the industry,” said Murphy. — Rhia de Pablo