Training for Work Program Posts 60% Conversion Rate
by Paul Catiang

Out of the 1,000 near-hires that underwent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Training for Work program, over 500 near-hire trainees passed, posting a 60 percent conversion rate and promising more success on a greater scale in the future.

The companies who participated in this program are John Clements, Excel Asia, Cybercity, PeopleSupport, the Call Center Academy , FuturePerfect, Teledevelopment, ICT, May K, HSBC and Client Logic.

This near-hire training program was first envisioned to supply the ever-growing demand of business process outsourcing (BPO) companies for proficient speakers in English. To sign up for the program, interested parties need to get assessed by John Clements. On an oral proficiency scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being the highest level of English proficiency on the John Clements scale, a near-hire would have a rating of 5 or 5+. Once applicants have been assessed as having a near-hire's oral proficiency level, they should then proceed to the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) and be given a training voucher worth PhP 5,000, courtesy of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). They may then report back to John Clements to undergo the 100-hour training program.

Trainees are asked to sign a memorandum of agreement confirming their commitment to complete the two-and-a-half-week training program. The MOA also signifies the trainees' consent to not applying in other call center companies within the duration of the training until the Final Evaluation.

Training firms like John Clements conducted the training program for these near-hires, as well as several other call centers and outsourcing companies.