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The emergence of BPO industries has an enormous effect in the country’s unemployment rate. This is mainly the focus of the Philippine government in promoting BPO in the country. The government’s initiatives in the area of educational and training incentives and reforms, enhanced visibility of the Philippine country brand internationally, and better appreciation among Filipinos of the opportunities available in the IT-BPO industry. Recent government initiatives aimed at addressing the problems on labor shortage and the jobs skills mismatch in the business process outsourcing industry include the following:
Scholarship Programs
The “Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP)” had earmarked funds for IT industry to provide educational grants for the training of BPO applicants. The program issues training certificates to “near hires” or applicants whose qualifications fall just slightly below a hiring company’s skill requirements. As of December 2008, the BPAP distributed over 44,000 certificates worth P260 million.
This translated to improvements in employment yield rates for BPO segments: contact centers (65%), medical transcription (86%), software development and animation (100%). The program was renamed “Pangulong Gloria Scholarship” (PGS) and provided bigger funding in 2009 amounting to P350 million. This aims to benefit 60,000 BPO trainees by providing them tuition reimbursements and training allowances.
AdEPT
The Advance English Proficiency Training (AdEPT) program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) aims to improve English proficiency of the Filipino labor force at par with the global standards. From only 10 AdEPT partner schools in 2008, it aims to partner with 110 to 220 schools targeting to benefit 5,500 students in 2009 and 2010. For school year 2010 to 2011, it aims to partner with 835 to 1,000 schools targeting 25,000 graduates.
