Hub to establish South Africa as power

And ContactinGauteng was also able to announce another, much more visible achievement today as well: a full-on business process outsourcing skills hub. Gauteng province in South Africa aims at creating a whopping 60,000 new jobs in the call-centre industry within the next three years. ContactinGauteng seeks to develop this potential talent pool to its call-centre industry.

Through this initiative, Gauteng’s school dropouts would be able to gain the opportunity to learn basic skills to increase their level of employability and career prospects. ContactinGauteng doubles as call-centre industry authority and member association in Gauteng.

The firm is responsible for more than 60 percent of call centres in South Africa; the city of Johannesburg’s economic development unit itself will be partnering with ContactinGauteng to develop the BPO skills hub: “The Joburg BPO skills hub will enable successful incumbents to qualify with a BTech certificate provided by the global training organisation Edexcel,” said a CIG spokesman.

The hub carries a mission statement that promises to reduce the cost of recruitment, subsidize the cost of training, provide balance sheet relief, and reduce attrition of agents in call centres, consultants and human resources in other BPO service centres. In theory, the BPO Skills Hub will benefit the local market by providing employers access to a massive human resource pool that can deliver “an internationally recognised quality of service.”

Further, the CIG brain trust envisions that, with its assistance, South Africa can become a power in the international outsourcing arena.