Vocational training firm eases job access for youth

CEBU, Philippines - Unlike any typical training center in urban areas, a vocational training company is aimed at providing the rural youth quick access to gainful employment particularly in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector and the opportunity to take full advantage of the sunshine industry in the country.

BagoSphere is the brainchild of three young philanthropists from Singapore namely Zhihan Lee, Ellwyn Tan and Ivan Lau who all graduated from the National University of Singapore.

They founded the company in order to provide a unique combination of communications, critical thinking and life skills training that could eventually enable the rural youth to become highly-desired employees of call center and BPO firms after two months.

Lee who is the chief executive officer of BagoSphere said that they believe that the rural youth accounts for a large base of untapped talents in the Philippines.

He added in a statement that they intend to “unlock” these talents to boost the manpower supply of the BPO industry in Bacolod City which in return, could fuel the growth of the sector.

BagoSphere is located in Bago City, a second class city in the province of Negros Occidental.

Lee further said that the employment opportunity in a call center company allows a young employee to earn an income that is four times higher than the compensation an unskilled worker receives.

Such earnings, he said, could enable the youth to save and pursue their professional and personal development goals.

Reportedly, Philippines was hailed as the largest call center location in the world in 2010, outperforming India. It was projected that an additional 800,000 direct BPO jobs will be generated by 2016.

BagoSphere utilizes the “study now, pay later scheme” wherein students can start paying their tuition fees in affordable monthly installments once they are employed at an established call center company.

To make it easier, BagoSphere also works with micro-finance partners like the Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation to grant special loans to students.

Last year, BagoSphere was named as the recipient of Singapore International Foundation’s Young Social Entrepreneurs Grant Program and an award winner of Start-up@Singapore’s Social Enterprise competition.

BagoSphere is the lone brick-and-mortar startup company under Kickstart Ventures, an incubator-accelerator firm wholly-owned by Globe Telecom which is aimed at supporting and developing a dynamic community of technopreneurs in the Philippines.

It further helps startup founders build innovative businesses by providing funding, facilities, mentorship and market access. /JMD (FREEMAN)