Villanueva said that TESDA is enhancing its regulations in training potential call center and other BPO workers and those engaged in non-voice BPO to make them more competitive and attractive to the industry.
"TESDA fully supports the growth and development of the IT-BPO in the Visayas and I am confident that with our shared goals, we can sustain our collaborative efforts and deliver excellent results,” Villanueva said at the IT-BPO Human Resource Dialogue at the Chalet-L’Fisher Hotel in Bacolod City.
"I am confident that you have a pool of creative and talented people here that we can train to become the pioneers in the industry,” he added.
Villanueva also called on schools and technical vocational institutions, including universities, to invest in the offering of other BPO qualifications, particularly non-voice services such as Financial Accounting Services (for banks); Engineering and Design Services (CAD-CAM); Health Industry related services ( Medical Transcription); Creative Digital Arts (Animation); and Software Development.
"There is a tough competition from other countries for BPO workers. The challenge is to be globally-competitive always,” he said.
Bacolod City in Negros Occidental ranked third on the Top 10 Next Wave Cities for IT-BPO locations for 2010-2011.
With the development in the IT-BPO industry, around P105 million a month or close to P1.3 billion annually is being poured into the local economy. From 2,154 jobs in 2007, an increase of 67.17% or a total of 12,167 new jobs were created in by 2010.
It currently hosts 11 international contact center companies, which created an estimated 12,000 jobs. It also has three large information technology parks accredited by the provincial economic zone authority.
The establishment of the Negros Occidental language and IT Center (NOLITC) also paved the way for the offering of TESDA-registered qualifications such as Contact Center Services NC II; Finishing Course for Call Center Agents NC II; English Language Proficiency Program; and, Medical Transcription NC II. It will soon offer 2D Animation NC II.
NOLITC is a recipient of a P2 million grant for BPO-related courses under the Training for Work Scholarship Fund of the TESDA.
Villanueva said he was looking forward to the completion of the Negros First Cybercenter, the biggest IT Center in the province funded by the local government under Governor Alfredo Maranon Jr., saying this would expand opportunities for more training for potential BPO workers.
He acknowledged the strong public-private partnership in IT development in the province through the partnership forged between TESDA and the Bacolod Negros Occidental Federation for IT (BNEFIT).
"I believe in your capability to advocate for growth, push for human resource development, bring partners to support and make your dreams a reality. TESDA is one with you in pursuing these goals. I hope our own dream of reaching new frontiers is a dream that will come to fruition in Negros Occidental and the rest of this part of the country,” Villanueva said.
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