[kictanet] Day 5 of 10- BPO Discussions, HR Issues

Mon Jun 8 13:09:21 EAT 2009

Dear Listers,

If I may make a few comments on some capacity building initiatives that the
MOE (Min of Education) is already putting in place that will vastly increase
ICT skills into the Market . Whereas these will not be at the Degree level I
am certain that for data entry and perhaps other less specialized fields of
the BPO sector they will ready and available for snapping up.

There are various programs that are already in place to equip secondary
schools with Computer labs and appropriate digital content aimed at
enhancing competencies in both the sciences, Mathematics and ICT subject
areas. These will see skills (that are necessary at foundation level)
identified both by the students themselves and the MOE that can then be
harnessed either through selection of science based careers or ICT
preparedness of the student body that graduates from High school. These
skills can then be tapped into by the ICT sector in general or BPO in
particular. Or even better open up possibilities of degree courses that are
attractive to the wider BPO sector requirements.

The first round of 213 schools is done and simple maths for this should tell
us that already over 127, 800 students (213 X 600 on average students per
school) are already getting hands on experience on basic ICT skill sets.
More schools are expected for the 2009-2010 financial year I suspect.

Although I am not privy to the MOE plan their ICT for secondary school
policy clearly seeks to impart not just  basic ICT skills to each and every
secondary school student but to take things one step further and implement
computer studies as an examinable subject in more schools, this will give
students a wider range of skills that I am sure will be exactly what the
doctor ordered for the BPO sector and ICT entrepreneurship in general.

Taking a leaf from countries such as Malaysia and India it was the 'opening'
up of the ICT sector within the mass education system ( secondary/Tertiary)
that enabled a boost to their own ICT industry.

Our young students simply need to have these skills and I am sure that the
Human resource gap that is looming will be readily and ably filled not just
as front office workers but for innovation as well more specific skill sets
as well.

What needs to also be shared out is what are the specific skill sets
required for the BPO industry - I am sure that the skills needed in the
tourism sector , differ from those needed in the medical sector. That way
this information can inform the Education Managers to tilt or include/
enhance some skill sets within the curriculum that will form the foundation
for further development either on the job or at tertiary level.

The long and short of it, from my perspective is that the BPO sector will
post even bigger successes if the MOE is made part and parcel of the
delivery chain. The purpose of education at a policy level is to prepare the
future work force for its country.

The mouse needs to be the new pen in schools. And with appropriate shift in
policy and funding, this can be acheived.

Fatma

On Mon, Jun 8, 2009 at 11:33 AM, lily marusoi <lmarusoi at yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> My take on Q 7&8
>
> We need to come up with a standardized national curriculum for the BPO
> sector a "finishing school" for those aspiring to work in the BPO sector.
> Having looked at the KBPO society training framework I feel there is a need
> to customise it to fit our Kenyan  situation as some skills set were assumed
> to be obvious.
>
> When we talk of equiping the graduates, lets not also forget that we have
> so many other youths graduating from tertiary institutions with certificates
> and diplomas.
>
> Some major industry players have hinted that they prefer non graduates so
> long as they have the right attitudes, it is easier to train skills but not
> attitudes which is a major factor in the BPO sector.
>
> Regards
> Lily
>
>
> --- On *Mon, 6/8/09, Judy Okite <judyokite at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Judy Okite <judyokite at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Day 5 of 10- BPO Discussions, HR Issues
> To: lmarusoi at yahoo.com
> Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> Date: Monday, June 8, 2009, 11:50 AM
>
> to answer both Q 7&8
>
> my suggestion on this.....all graduates,should be equipped to work in a
> BPO,at the time of their graduation. BPO specifics,should be
> entrenched,within the curriculum.....with this there will be no
> descrimination and I believe it will bring in quality to this market  e.g in
> USIU,I know you have to do a foreign language....at some point in your
> 2years of your time with them...it doesnt really matter what course your
> taking and level.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> On Mon, Jun 8, 2009 at 8:06 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com<http://us.mc1102.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]>
> > wrote:
>
>> -Day 5 of 10- BPO Discussions, Human Capacity Issues
>>
>> Morning all,
>>
>> I trust you had a refreshing weekend.  Today I want to introduce the theme
>> on Human Resource Development for the BPO industry.  The Researchers found
>> that India, S.Africa and Mauritius had a comprehensive inventory of their
>> skill-base that was also available for Validation by prospective employers
>> and investors.  Another observation was ofcourse the sheer numbers of Indian
>> graduates (millions) that made it the largest base of highly skilled pool of
>> graduates with strong mathematical/scientific orientation.  Whereas,
>> Mauritius was producing only 10,000 (university) graduates per year compared
>> to Kenya's 30,000 per year, Mauritius had the advantage of properly
>> documenting their national graduates database and marketing it appropriately
>> to potential clients in Europe/America.  In addition, the Researchers noted
>> that Mauritius had a government funded but Private-Sector oriented ICT
>> Academy that produced graduates specificially for the ICT industry.
>>
>> In Kenya, the Researchers observed that apart from the lack of a national
>> database on the available skills/graduates, some of the BPO operators were
>> engaged in vicious poaching cycles where Agents trained in-house by one
>> Operater are immediately hired by the Competing Operators. It was noted,
>> that an attempt has been made by the .KE Government to create an
>> Industry-specific University (Multimedia University College of Kenya) to
>> address the HR gap but its success or otherwise will remain to be seen in a
>> few years time.  The Researchers also noted that Kenya's English-speaking
>> labor force had an edge over the Indian one given that the average Kenyan
>> had a "neutral" accent unlike the Indian graduate who tended to have an
>> "ethnic" accent that often distracted the Euro-American markets/clients.
>>
>> But this advantage is yet to be exploited - even as the Indians move up
>> the BPO value chain and concentrate on non-accent related processes such as
>> Software Engineering, Research (Financial, Medicine, etc), Product (e.g.
>> Civil and Architectural) Design amongst others. Which leads us to todays
>> questions.
>>
>> Qtn 7: How do we develop a national database on the wide-range of
>> available ICT skill in Kenya - specifically which institution should be
>> mandated to realise this, ensuring that such a database is kept upto date
>> over the years?
>>
>> Qtn 8: What strategies should the country adopt to ensure a continuous
>> supply of relevant and timely BPO-Specific skills?
>>
>> Please, lets have your comments flowing,dig yahjwalu starting now...
>>
>> walu.
>>
>> Encl: Synthesis 3 - HR Issues
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
> --
> "Each of us is great insofar as we perceive and act on the infinite
> possibilities which lie undiscovered and unrecognized about us." James
> Harvey Robinson
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