BPO competency standards mulled

Information Technology training firm, Kaisa Consulting is joining hands with the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (Cedfit) to develop a Certification Program for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) manpower requirements.

Towards the end of this month, Kaisa Consulting and members of the Cedfit group, including government institutions, the academe and industry players will be formulating competency standards for entry level BPO finance and accounting works that would raise the bar in the quality of manpower supply in Cebu for the growing requirement of existing and upcoming BPO investments here.

In an interview with Kaisa Consulting marketing manager John Michael Bantolino, he said this initiative was formally introduced by Kaisa in partnership with Cedfit as Cebu is becoming one of the top picks among investors of BPO companies both here and abroad.

Bantolino said through the five-day workshop scheduled this coming August 27 to 31, multi-sectoral groups that are heavily involved in supplying manpower for BPO operations, including government agencies will find out the specific and specialized requirements of the industry that need to be uplifted further.

Kaisa Consulting is the partner of SAP Philippines, the world’s leading provider of business software.

According to Bantolino because of Cebu’s popularity as the preferred site for BPO investments, there is a need for the province to create a pool of certified BPO manpower skills, especially in the BPO Finance and Financing works.

In the second phase of the BPO Certification, the program will be embedding SAP in the curriculum. Simultaneously, helping train and certify more SAP engineers in Cebu, said Cedfit executive director Bonifacio Belen.

“SAP is one of the most sought after ERP/Accounting & Finance applications that will, hopefully, find its presence in Cebu signaled by this important initiative.  It will play a vital role in the coming in of more BPOs to Cebu, which already actually started with the setting-up of the Accenture facility,” Belen said.

Last month, SAP Philippines, together with Kaisa Consulting introduced a specialized Education Program in Cebu , while Cebu is considered as one of the largest IT investment hubs in the country.

The three-pronged SAP Education program is composed of the e-learning component, SAP short courses, and the SAP Academy, which programs are offered to suit the need of an individual who wanted to be a SAP certified engineer.

Also, SAP and Kaisa Consulting, is also bringing to Cebu its SAP Training for Employment (STEP), a program to ensure the ongoing development of skilled SAP-trained professionals.