‘PH needs multi-lingual workers’

A MULTINATIONAL company in Cebu is calling for a multi-lingual workforce, a growing industry requirement to service the global market.

Mercedes-Benz Group Services Philippines Inc (MBGSP), formerly Daimler Group Services Philippines, announced that it is currently in talks with some universities in Cebu to integrate lessons on foreign languages, especially German, with business administration and accountancy courses, according to its president and chief executive officer Heiko Nitsche.

MBGSP, composed of 225 employees, provides financing and accounting as well as consultancy services for their international customers in Africa, Asia Pacific, and the United States.

“In order for (MBGSP) to serve the needs of the (global) offices, it is of immense advantage to the company if the person handling the account is well versed in the accounting process and at the same time, able to speak German, since 60 percent of the company’s operations are located in Germany and consequently use mainly the German language for business,” MBGSP said.

The company also provides back office services for other Daimler shared service centers in Madrid, Spain and in Berlin, Germany.

Nitsche said the company’s campaign to universities will not only benefit the Daimler Group but also the graduates themselves and the Philippine labor market in general.

“Having multilingual graduates from local universities strengthens the Philippines position as a preferred location for multinational companies to invest in the country, and at the same time, these graduates will have better career opportunities in global companies,” Nitsche said.

For MBGSP, the official said someone who can speak German and is qualified in finance and accounting would certainly land in the shortlist of applicants for vacancies in the company.

He added that its Cebu office could double its workers in the next years, but if they have an available pool of talent who can speak German, “the opportunity will be huge.”

MBGSP has grown from a team of 50 in 2012 to 225 in the first quarter of 2015, marking a growth of 350 percent in a span of three years.

Given this growth, Nitsche hopes that the academe in Cebu would consider their cause, which the country can also bank on in the near future. He said the company has received a “positive” response the universities, but nothing is official yet.

As a shared service company, MBGSP is a direct employer and provides employees with the benefits and training that would equip them to take on positions that previously would have been out of reach to locals.

Nitsche said the company can offer career advancement development to its employees. It has already sent a number of its Cebu employees abroad for trainings and meetings.

“The excellent performance of MBGSP has not gone unnoticed by the top executives of the company whose headquarters is in Germany. The team in Cebu enjoys the confidence of the top management, hence continuing growth in its manpower and its scope of services to the global organization,” MBGP said.

The Daimler group employs 275,000 employees worldwide.

The recent change of name from Daimler to Mercedes Benz in Cebu is a move to boost brand recognition and promote the company as an employer of choice in the country.

Mercedes Benz is the flagship brand for luxury cars of the Daimler group of companies.

On Friday, the Mercedes-Benz star logo was lighted on top of the Mercedes-Benz Tower at the Cebu Business Park.

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