Orissa joins the BPO bandwagon

For a change, the Orissa government intends to play the role of a placement agency.

Sensing the huge employment potential of the BPO sector, the state-owned Orissa Computer Application Centre (OCAC) has roped in two leading consultants to prepare the large pool of educated unemployed talents available in the state for low-end jobs in manpower-hungry BPO sector. One of the factors bothering the BPO sector today is quality manpower, says SN Patro, minister IT, Orissa.

Hence, the state government has taken it onto itself the responsibility of training the unemployed graduates and create job opportunities for them in the BPO sector by making them industry worthy, he added.

Towards this objective, OCAC has signed agreements with leading recruiter Ma Foi management Consultant and skill assessor Merit Track. The agreement is an attempt by the state government to provide tailor-made training for job seekers in the BPO sector so they do not have to go out of state for such facilities, he added.

Vishal Dev, chief executive of OCAC said, the state undertaking in touch with several BPO firms from which five companies, namely Progeon of Infosys, ICICI One Source, EXL Services, Allianz Corn Hills and HP, have agreed to recruit candidates to be trained by OCAC.

The skill assessment test to be conducted by Merit Track being a standardized test, the candidates passing the test are virtually assured of jobs, he added.

According to the agreement, while Ma Foi will provide the training to the youths, Merit Track will assess aspirants' skills through standardized tests. The state government will provide the infrastructure support for this purpose through OCAC. Initially OCAC will admit 50 students to the programme, which will be increased later.

Patro said, besides, the employment opportunities, IT industry promises to fetch good revenue for the state.

As many BPO job aspirants are going out of the state for upgrading their skills to the industry standard, the setting up of training facilities within the state will curb such trend, He said, by 2009, their will be a shortage of five lakh hands in the BPO sector alone.

The minister pointed out that the government has targeted for a 40 per cent rise in IT exports from Orissa by March 2005 compared to the previous year.

At present, the state is slotted at the seventh position in the country in terms of IT revenues. The government aims to reach Rs 1,000 crore mark in this regard by 2007.