BPO firm StarTek is planning to invest an additional $9 million to expand its operations in the country. StarTek managing director Ed Mallari said they are upbeat on the Philippines and the future of the industry. The US-based outsourcing firm has invested $10 million for its facility in Makati and is planning to bring in an additional $9 million in new capital as it looks for another office space in the country. During the inauguration of its Makati office in January, the first office outside the United States and Canada, StarTek president and CEO Larry Jones said that they are pleased with their choice to locate in the Philippines and are now looking at their next investment site.

According to him, they would like to remain in Makati but are open to locating in Cebu as well. “In the second half we will start looking at other facilities (but) we are not convinced that the province is better than Makati,” Jones said. He said the number two location would be Cebu City. Jones refused to provide details on their next investment but said they are looking at opening a site with a capacity of 1,000 seats.

The Philippine office is the largest facility of StarTek because its offices in the United States have a capacity of 500 seats only. The office in Makati is their 20th location. (more…)

English proficiency in the country is seen to increase further as more Filipinos receive training geared towards employment in the business process outsourcing sector. Moreover, the industry’s growth is also creating a halo effect as government agencies are ramping up training for potential BPO employees. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and some universities are working with BPO providers and IT companies to help improve English proficiency, along with other necessary skills required by companies in the IT industry.

Some examples of programs are the Advanced English Proficiency Program (ADEPT) developed by TESDA and the Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP), which aims to train tens of thousands of students. Other similar employment training programs where tertiary schools are involved include the Service, Science, Management and Engineering (SSME) of IBM; Oracle Academy; Cisco Networking Academy, among others. These training programs all require English as a primary mode of teaching, which further helps students to improve their English speaking skills.

Senator Manuel Roxas III also stressed that need for students to improve their English proficiency, though he emphasized that learning English is better done if students are taught in their native language first. (more…)