Firm opens school for undergrad employees

The BPO industry is enticing prospective agents among young professionals, college graduates and even noncollege graduates to stay on the job.

To accommodate “undergrad” employees, companies have offered them part-time or flexible shifts.

Some companies offer scholarships, while others go for financial aids, which are to be paid by sticking with the company for a number of years.

In 2010, a call center company, TelUS International, launched an “earn a degree while you work” with its own TI University (TIU).

In partnership with University of Asia and the Pacific, De La Salle University, Asia Pacific College and Systems Technology Institute, TIU offers courses in information technology, humanities, business administration and entrepreneurship to their employees.

At a minimal cost, TIU offers classes conducted on the company’s premises in TelUS House Araneta and Market! Market! The classes are adapted according to students’ work schedules.

The program also provides a library, books, computers and other education equipment. Noli A. Ermitanio