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Drake, Netopia to boost English training
(Manila Standard Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Global trainer and placement specialist Drake International has teamed up with leading Philippine-based Internet cafes operator Netopia to boost the English language training in the country in the face of looming shortage of qualified call center agents here.
Lesley Rogan, manager of Drake Training Systems Limited, a unit of Drake International, said his company was launching the first online English school called Englishlink in the Philippines to help the country in developing 800,000 new call center agents needed by the business process outsourcing industry over the next three years.
Englishlink is described as Internet-based English as a Second Language training program that delivers innovative and convenient online English training to anyone in the world with broadband access.
The program provides access to high quality, but affordable, English lessons using pre-recorded, video-streamed lessons delivered by native English speakers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
Rogan said Englishlink was the company's answer to the rising demand for high-quality English speakers in the Philippines amid the growth of the call center industry.
Tito Chavez, vice president for marketing and sales of Netopia, said Englishlink was an affordable and convenient online school that offered native-speaker quality English lessons.
The product suits our target market of young Filipinos who need English to take part in the growing economy, he said, noting that some 200,000 people are working in 120 contact centers in the Philippines today.
The future is even brighter. Industry forecasting predicts that by 2010, over 1 million Filipinos will work in the call center industry, generating $12 billion for the economy. However, industry data indicates that of the 400,000 new graduates looking for work annually, only 2.89 percent are hired in business process outsourcing companies and call centers, he said.
Chavez said that less than 3 of every 100 college graduates were hired in these businesses yearly because due to failing the qualifying exams. This is a worry for the future of the industry.
In addition to BPOs and call centers, the Philippines was becoming a popular destination for English learners, particularly from Korea and Japan , he added.
Rogan said Englishlink could help Filipinos brush up on their skills. When I contact a call center, I can often tell when I am speaking with to a Filipino. While many of them have very good accents, there is something in the tone that is not natural to my ear. We can help with that, she said.
She said Englishlink lessons provide learners with a native speaker model. The teachers focus heavily on listening and pronunciation skills. Learners can rewind a lesson clip and mimic the pronunciation of the teacher.
This is a great way to become fluent in English--in a manner in which other native English speakers will happily respond to, she said.
Under the partnership, Netopia will sell Englishlink electronic loads in all its branches nationwide that will enable students to accent www.Englishlink.tv in all Netopia branches.
Copyright 2007 Kamahalan Publishing Corp. , Source: The Financial Times Limited
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