itel Partners With UWI Open Campus

Jamaica Observer | August 30, 2018

  itelbpo has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of the West Indies Open Campus (UWIOC) with hopes of securing middle and senior managers for its call centre operations. The MOU reflects both parties' commitment to offer short courses through UWIOC and the itelbpo Smart Academy located in Montego Bay, as the institutions seek to address the human resource imbalance that currently exists within the BPO industry. UWI will assist itelbpo to plan, develop and deliver programmes for its employees to access training, education and information through UWIOC. The Open Campus will also provide support to itelbpo by providing the technology required to deliver the programme and courses through the UWIOC Montego Bay site and its Computing and Technology Services Unit. itelbpo will in turn provide UWIOC access to its training rooms and facilities at the itelbpo site in Montego Bay, and collaborate through its Smart Academy on the delivery of education and training to build the capacity of itelbpo at the level of senior management. Already underway, itelbpo saw its first batch of team members operating in the travel, telecoms and utilities industries participating in a 10-week supervisory management course held during over the period February to April. A press release from the BPO operator, however, noted that while Jamaica's BPO industry has a strong cadre of persons at the level of middle management, there is an acute shortage of professionals able to effectively occupy senior management roles. The shortage has resulted in many companies hiring international expats. “This joint initiative is an example of itelbpo's commitment to constantly improving Jamaica's human resource capacity to ensure a more significant contribution to national development,” itelbpo's Head of Training and Quality Shurland Buchanan said. “It cannot be stated enough that the country's greatest resource is its people. Jamaicans are exceedingly bright and ambitious and it is our hope that given the right tools the course participants will go on to make an even more meaningful impact on their respective organisations,” he continued. Formed in 2012, itelbpo has over 1,500 employees and spans Jamaica's largest cities, a growing presence in the Bahamas, Mexico and the USA with its newly acquired work at home division. The company is a diversified services provider that works clients across eight vertical markets, supporting offerings that include voice, non-voice and analytical functions.