EDS South Africa has successfully trained and employed 12 young South Africans in the first phase of an ongoing social responsibility project. The Call Agent Training Programme is creating job opportunities for individuals who may otherwise have found it difficult to secure employment in the SA job market due to insufficient skills.
According to EDS South Africa Chairman, Michael Minassian, the 12 call agent trainees received life-skills, behavioural and computer literacy training over a period of a month. At the end of this period, trainees attended the client care selection programme of one of EDS` major banking clients, and all 12 were successful for entry into the call centre. All but one came from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
"The EDS Call Agent Training Programme provides technical, business, life-skills and communication skills training to matriculants meeting the entrance requirements, with preference given to individuals from previously disadvantaged backgrounds," he says. "The Programme will ensure that EDS has access to skilled Call Agents, with the ability to acquire and transfer knowledge in the dynamic Call Centre environment."
Minassian believes the efficacy of the selection process, and the training and development programme, has been demonstrated by the fact that all 12 call agent trainees were successfully fast-tracked and completed the gruelling banking call centre assessment. Minassian says school-leavers who do not continue their education generally find it difficult to enter into the workplace due to a lack of skills and experience.
Minassian says even those who will not meet the entry criteria for EDS Call Centres will not be lost to the job market. They will be issued with certificates of competence and will be better qualified for entry into other call centres or clerical positions.
Apart from the benefit to society of 12 families with new sources of income, EDS will also benefit from access to skilled call agents better able to staff their clients` call centres effectively. Minassian says the programme is an indication of EDS SA`s commitment to the upliftment of society and the development of youth in SA.
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