SU TEVEC produces 24 Contact Center Services NC II graduates

Silliman University Technical, Education, Vocational, and Entrepreneurial Center (SU TEVEC) culminated its school year for the Contact Center Services (CCS) National Certificate (NC) II program and produced twenty-four (24) successful graduates from its blended learning program during the 34th Graduation Ceremony at the SU Audio-Visual Theater on March 5, 2024.

SU TEVEC, through the leadership of Blanchie M. Utzurrum, center head, invited Suzanne Antoniette Lu-Bascara, asst. vice president and site director of Inspiro Relia, Inc. and president of the ICT Association of Dumaguete and Negros Oriental, as the graduation ceremony guest speaker to inspire the new graduates.

Lu-Bascara worked as an auditor, banker, and software project manager in Manila before coming home to Dumaguete to set up the very first business process outsourcing (BPO) company not only in the city but in the entire province pf Negros Oriental. She is currently taking her Ph.D. in Business at SU.

“Thank you to Silliman University for collaborating with Inspiro and our sister company, Infocom. As one of the very first call centers in the city, we’ve always taken it upon ourselves to upskill and train those who want to join our industry, which is the BPO industry, particularly the call center industry,” Bascara said in her message.

The Philippines is considered the number one call center capital of the world.

“If you’re talking about the contact center, technical support, and all other call center branches, we’re considered the specialist in the world,” she said.

All this means, first and foremost, ease in employment in the context of Dumaguete, explained Lu-Bascara to the graduates and the crowd, after she shared how she had to relocate to Manila to find a challenging job when she was still starting her career. Now, with so many call centers in the city, finding a job in the BPO industry is just a pedicab ride away.

 

“As a community…, the BPO space [in Dumaguete] has provided a lot of economic growth. Due to the growth of the BPO industry, you see so much progress in Dumaguete, all because of the economic activity generated by all of these employees in the city,” she added.

Lu-Bascara also stressed the importance of how employment in these jobs within the city could help not only these future students get employed, but also their families, the barangays, and the community at large, citing the nature of the call center job as a “worthwhile occupation.”

With the advent of artificial intelligence comes the threat it brings to the BPO industry, potentially its extinction. Paradoxically, Lu-Bascara points out that the industry views A.I. as a tool, one that can be used to generate data for customers quickly and with ease, without losing the “human factor” that customer service brings to the fore, particularly in building rapport or connection one customer call at a time.

“And that is the edge of each and everyone of you as you go into the call center industry. You bring the human factor,” she reminded the graduates.

Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean and then officer-in-charge (OIC) for the Office of the SU Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA), thanked the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)’s continued partnership with SU, which “provides students with hands-on training opportunities, enabling them to gain practical experience in various vocational fields.”

“Among the government organizations, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has, over the years, been at the forefront of equipping the Filipinos with skills that will prepare them to be globally competitive and financially independent,” Villordon said.

With SU as its partner, Villordon stressed, the University is making sure that the necessary deliverables are in place, in accordance with its commitment “to cultivate a resilient and globally competitive academic community that is competent in knowledge production and innovation,” one that “positively contributes to sustainable development.”

“We are confident that through this training, we have equipped our trainees with lifelong learning, improved employability… with industry-relevant skills and knowledge,” Villordon added.

TESD Specialist Beth Aimee D. Tubog, who represented TESDA, also spoke at the event. She was one of the students from the first batch of CCS NC II graduates SU TEVEC has produced.

“I joined the program for three reasons,” Tubog began.

“One, I wanted to become a Sillimanian. Second, I also wanted to experience becoming a TESDA scholar. Third, I wanted to develop my communication skills because being the frontliner of TESDA meant doing a lot of communication,” she said.

During her time with SU TEVEC, formerly the School of Agro-Industrial and Technical Education (SAITE), Tubog reflected on the skills and experiences she gained from her 18-day CCS training, including going through interviews and typing speed tests, among others, which she viewed now as necessary skills in her job with TESDA.

Addressing the new graduates, she wished all of them success and hoped that the graduates continue to become “TESDA advocates” and, hopefully, become part of TESDA’s success story.

Dr. Warlito S. Caturay Jr., Office of Information and Publications (OIP) director, also spoke about the emergence and inevitability of “globalization,” a phenomenon so pronounced in the call center industry.

“Imagine a call center representative dealing with a client who is miles and miles away. Indeed, that illustrates how the world has gotten smaller, thereby creating the global village,” Caturay exemplified in his short message.

“Globalization, then, is associated with two important concepts: technology and communication. The former is its main driver, the latter is required for effective application of technology,” he added, believing that the course the graduates successfully finished will have already put a premium into these two concepts.

SU TEVEC Head Blanchie M. Utzurrum thanked the key people who made the event successful. Present at the ceremony were Dr. Mae Brigitt Bernadel L. Villordon, College of Arts (CAS) dean and then officer-in-charge (OIC) of the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs; Dr. Warlito S. Caturay Jr., Office of Information and Publication (OIP) director; Dr. Edna Gladys T. Calingacion, Office of Student Services (OSS) dean; Dr. Giovanni T. Macahig, SU Office of the Registrar and Admissions officer; Rev. January B. Alpuerto, Minister for Students and Campus Chaplaincy; Joemil A. Dayao, CCS trainer; and Beth Aimee D. Tubog, Supervising Technical Education and Skills Development (TESD) specialist.