A new campus, to cater for the growing Western Cape contact centre industry, was opened in the Cape Town suburb of Athlone yesterday, marking the third year of the Calling the Cape cadet scheme.
Located in one of the city's poorer areas, but near a major commuter terminal, the new campus overcomes one of the major challenges for contact centre students, that of getting to their classes.
"Since the cadet scheme was started, we have learnt a lot about the challenges students often face. These include transport to the campus and that we need to form a partnership with their families to encourage them to stay the course. It is similar to the family support that is found at schools," says Sipho Zungu, CEO of the industry representative body Calling the Cape.
The cadet scheme is jointly funded by the provincial government of the Western Cape's Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the City of Cape Town. It is supported by the Department of Public Works, which made the building available.
Some 400 students are expected to graduate at the end of this month after having gone through all the prescribed levels of training.
Advancement levels
The first level includes career assessment and aptitude tests. The second level is called the "World of Work" and prepares students for the working environment and includes computer literacy. The third level consists of the core training and culminates with the student receiving a National Qualification Foundation accredited course at level two. The last level is a six-month internship with a company.
A stipend, beginning at R1 000, is paid to the students during their training, and it can rise to about R1 500 on achievement of their goals. Companies also top-up the stipend from time to time.
Zungu says the ages of the students average between 18 and 26 years. However, older people have joined, especially those who have left industries that are on the decline, such as the textile sector.
He says the placement rate for the students is about 90% and most are placed at some of the larger contact centre companies, such as Fusion or The Carphone Warehouse.
Zungu also points out that companies can request Calling the Cape to run courses specific to their needs.
The contact centre industry has become a major employer in the Western Cape, employing 25 000 people.
Zungu says a study to update the employment figures and clarify the industry's economic impact is being finalised and will be released soon.
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