Improving employability of graduates for the business processing industry

The Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) members offer employment for new graduates at an astonishing rate of more than 20,000 new jobs per month. This sector will provide 600,000 new jobs by 2010 and will contribute $13 billion to the economy. However, there are few qualified job applicants. On the average, only 4 percent of applicants are hired by call centers. Although higher education institutions (HEIs) produce 400,000 fresh college graduates every year, about three quarters of these graduates have sub-standard English skills. There is a mismatch between the call centers’ expectations of applicants and the preparedness of graduates from Philippine HEIs. The acceptance rate of graduates needs to greatly increase to meet the industry demand for new employees.

Three strategies are addressing this shortfall: industry lead standards are being developed and shared; government is supporting training for near-hires; and partnerships between academe and companies are being formed.

To establish industry standards, BPA/P initiated a talent working-group from their members, the education sector and government (CHED, DepEd, and TESDA). The talent working-group has developed initiatives and designed curriculum as well as identified pilot schools with support of industry members to test initiatives. BPA/P offers insights on labor and employment market trends, issues and direction and plays “applicants’ advocate” role during the design and testing of talent plan. The industry group focuses on securing government support for an industry talent initiative through identifying funding sources.

Read More Article...

Related Posts by Categories

Widget by Hoctro | Jack Book