BPO exec: Handle interns better

A LEADER in the business process outsourcing industry assailed the way on-the-job training is conducted for some students in the country.

While internship is supposed to give students an idea of what it is like to work in their chosen fields, a former executive director of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) said some companies let most of the students open doors, make coffee or do work in the filing room.

“The OJT structure here is, for lack of a better term, disgusting,” said Jonathan Defensor de Luzuriaga.

Instead of doing menial tasks, interns should be taught to be productive from the first day of their training, he said.

This was one of the problems he cited when it came to preparing graduates for a career in BPO.

In a recent briefing on the sector, de Luzuriaga urged members of the academe to be aware of the industry so they can produce graduates the industry needs.

What companies do is invest in training new hires because they lack in skills needed for the job.

De Luzuriaga said outsourcing companies are generous when it comes to training only up to a point and that the schools and universities have to do their part.

He admitted that he always gets asked by members of the academe how they can help prepare their students for the industry.

However, he said the industry changes so fast that by the time they agree on what to do, the industry requires other things.

Still, he said graduates of Cebu have what it takes to be in the BPO industry as it demands more workers with its constant growth.

What he suggested to them is to focus on training students on their skills so they can quickly adapt to the BPO setting.