The sun is the star at the center of the solar system. The energy of the light it brings supports almost all life on Earth by photosynthesis and drives the weather and climate of the planet. The sun is also the one responsible for keeping the solar system intact, through its magnetic field that affects the existence of the planets.
Due to the great significance of the sun to Earth, it is mostly used as a symbol for optimism, new beginnings, and a bright future. Its ray of light serves as a beacon of hope in almost all aspects of life.
The call center industry of the Philippines is dubbed as the Sunshine Industry of the country. With the new title comes many various reasons, most common among them is the vast opportunities that it brings to the workforce of the country.
With the entry of the new millennium, so was the entry of the call center industry to the Philippines. It provided thousands of jobs to Filipinos, especially those that have the tact for customer service and have a good command of the English language.
In the succeeding years, the country and the world have seen the growth of the industry and how it helped in fueling the Philippines' poor economy. With the advancement and evolution of the industry, the demands that come along with it also multiplied. Somehow, the government has to help find a way in supplying the growing demands.
So how do they keep the sun shining in the sunshine industry?
The government and several major corporations in the country saw the need for new skills to be developed, in order to step up the industry to the next level, especially in the non-voice services and the Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) sectors.
Voice services is the pioneering function in the country’s BPO industry, but in the succeeding years, the demand for non-voice or back-office processes already increased.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in partnership with the government through the Department of Finance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide $650,000 in technical assistance to the IT-BPO industry.
Knowledge hubs will be established in selected colleges and universities all over the country, for them to align their curricula with the needs of the IT-BPO sector.
At least three (3) hubs—one each in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao—will be established. Online trainings for teachers and digitized learning modules and study guides for students will be provided by these ICT-enabled hubs.
The program aims to align the curricula of higher education institutions (HEIs) with the needs of the IT-BPO sector through a model of ICT-enabled knowledge hubs that is replicable and sustainable for improved teaching and learning of IT-BPO industry–based curricula in HEIs.
A total of $500,000 will be sourced from the e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, a fund substantiated by the Republic of Korea and the ADB to propagate ICT knowledge. The Philippine government will also provide $150,000.
A leading committee—chaired by the Department of Finance with members from the Commission on Higher Education, National Economic and Development Authority, the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, and other government agencies—will be established to oversee the execution of the program.
The MoU stated that at least 900 faculty members and 3,000 college students will benefit from the program.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have initiated programs to support the IT-BPO sector, while the Business Processing Association of the Philippines also has its own program.
“The IT-BPO sector has been one of the sunshine industries in the Philippines and sustaining its performance has been the priority of this government as we believe on its potential to generate jobs and in the process, boost demand and growth in the country,” said Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima.
According to scientists, the sun is becoming more luminous by 10 percent every one billion years. Like the sun that gives us energy for more years to come, the government, agencies, and corporations are continuously fueling the call center industry in the Philippines, giving more opportunities to the Filipinos and an optimistic outlook for the economy.
That’s how they keep the sun lustrous for the Philippine Sunshine Industry.
About the Author
Publish on 06/21/2012
is a self-employed blogger and copywriter from the Philippines who loves writing and is always happy to share her passion for blogging.
Older Post:
No comments:
Post a Comment