Fair for call center agents who lost jobs

CEBU, Philippines - A special hiring program will be conducted to help the over 600 call center agents displaced when Direct Access ceased operations early this week find a job in other Business Process Outsourcing companies.

This special jobs fair will be organized by the Information and Communications Technology–Business Process Outsourcing (ICT-BPO) Council headed by Councilor Eduardo Rama as chairman and the Department of Manpower Development and Placement of Cebu City.

The first jobs fair will be on Aug. 7 at the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Provincial Office while the second jobs fair will be on Aug. 9 at the Sinulog Hall of the Rizal Memorial Library & Museum Building.

Confirmed participants are Aegis People Support, Aegis Aspire and Qualfon which are among the 172 operating BPOs in Cebu City.

Aegis People Support has 200 open positions while Qualfon has 350 available slots.

Both will be giving priority to the displaced workers of Direct Access.

Councilor Rama said that the DMDP is communicating with other call center companies that might want to join in the jobs fair next week.

He said the displaced workers have a high chance of being absorbed by these other BPO companies since they already have call center experience.

But Faye Herschel Cadungog, Aegis People Support senior manager, said that the workers will undergo the same hiring process as applicable to other applicants. The good news, however, is the one-day process at Aegis.

Those who will be hired at the jobs fair may start in less than a month.

Joslyn Canon, country manager of Qualfon, said that they have provided express lanes for the displaced workers of Direct Access where they can apply rather quickly.

Those who will not be hired on the spot will be offered training by Aegis Aspire in partnership with TESDA. Aegis Aspire provides training to aspiring customer service representatives or BPO agents. After training, the trainees will get endorsement for employment.

Dennis Tagamolila, Associate Vice President of Aegis Aspire and member of the ICT-BPO Council said that the recent closure of Direct Access is not to be a cause for alarm.

He said that the BPO industry in Cebu continues to expand. In fact, he said Aegis People Support has built its own building here at IT Park while Qualfon’s national headquarters is based here. People Support has been operating in Cebu for about eight years and Qualfon for six years.

“We have invested in our own building so you can see how stable we are. Di ta angay mamroblema,” Tagamolila said.

Rama assured that what happened to Direct Access is an isolated case and does not reflect the whole picture of the BPO industry in Cebu.

According to the records of the Cebu Investment and Promotions Center, there are currently around 172 BPOs in Cebu City. The BPO industry comprises of call centers, knowledge process Outsourcing and IT companies.

Rama said that the ICT-BPO Council may start discussing possible legislation to protect BPO workers from being laid off due to the sudden closure of BPO companies. - THE FREEMAN