The NASSCOM Assessment of Competence: Setting ITES - BPO Industry Standard
By Paul Catiang

NASSCOM, along with program manager Hewitt Associates, has been working with the Indian ITeS-BPO industry players to create a national assessment and certification program: the NASSCOM Assessment of Competence (NAC). This initiative aims to create a robust and continuous pipeline of talent. Rolled out in November 2006, candidates are continuously assessed candidates on key skills through a national standard of assessment, making it easier for firms to screen candidates and also provide training need analysis to candidates. This will help create training and development efforts to help more candidates become competent to work in the industry.

The test itself consists of 120 questions testing a variety of skills. A writing essay section tests a candidate’s communication skills, specifically in the English language. Mastery of standard English is, however, tested in a 30-item multiple-choice section, while Analytical and Quantitative Reasoning takes up another 30 items that include algebraic problems and questions that assess a candidate’s reasoning skills using basic mathematical concepts. The exam also has an oral component, testing candidates for accent, fluency, and grammar, along with the other usual oral proficiency indicators. Listening skills are likewise tested, with a focus on comprehension.

The NASSCOM Assessment of Competence is intended to help the ITES-BPO industry to create an assessed and certified talent workforce to cater their skilled manpower requirements. Some of the key benefits, according to the NAC webpage, are expected to include:

   1. A national standard for recruitment of entry level talent;
   2. Substantial cost savings in the industry’s sourcing cost;
   3. Ease of benchmarking for individual processes with industry standards;
   4. Ability to create visibility and reach out to a larger audience;
   5. Ability to filter out non-serious candidates and hence have improved efficiency;
   6. Cost savings through cutting off steps from the recruitment process, resulting in reduced cycle time and
   time andmore efficient utilization of resources;
   7. Cost savings through reduced training hours in full-blown operations.

Job aspirants in the ITES-BPO industry will have a common, transparent process across companies in the ITES-BPO sector. No longer will they need to go through the same recruitment process at different companies. They can identify their strengths and weaknesses and assess their individual training needs. Lastly, they have an opportunity to get certified on a national level under NASSCOM.

With regard to training companies, the NAC provides them with an opportunity to improve training programs for candidates. The assessment given by the test can give training companies and educational institutions a clear picture of which aspects their training programs can improve. Also, this allows universities and schools to align their curricula to industry needs. Over time, it is expected that the industry hire candidates only who come through the NAC.

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Source: NASSCOM .