The Hindu      02.02.2011

BPO training empowers a helpless woman

K. Dhanya Lakshmi, 27, lost all hopes of standing on her own feet after her husband's death, but a three-month-long training course in BPO jobs has changed her life altogether. She is now happy working as a customer relations officer drawing about Rs. 7,000 a month.

Dhanya Lakshmi, who hails from Pedana in Krishna district, was lucky to get this chance as she fully utilised the opportunity that came to her in the form of a training centre opened at Pedana under the Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA) of Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP).

Many such disadvantaged but educated youths have got a lifetime opportunity through the training centres opened by Trimentus Technologies, Chennai, in partnership with the MEPMA project. The agencies are mobilising interested educated youths in municipal areas and identifying serious candidates with 95 per attendance and above for further training for a fulltime career.

P. Venkata Kiran Kumar, centre head, Trimentus, says training centres have been opened at Pedana, Machilipatnam, Nuzvid and Gudivada with Vijayawada as the district centre. Training is being given in soft skills and computer programming, depending on the aptitude of the candidates.

Last year 350 candidates were trained and the number has increased to 1,400 this year.

Mr. Kiran Kumar says that some students are being absorbed in the company itself if they could show excellence and diligence during the training period. P. Jyotsna Rani initially enrolled for training and later showed interest in graphic designing. As she showed promise of a good career, she was taken as an administrator at Trimentus itself.

High motivation

For the candidates to achieve success under the MEPMA training programmes, they should have to show total interest and ensure attendance of above 95 per cent. The level of dedication among the candidates would be examined and then they would be selected for full time training. The project aims at preparing the youngsters to seize good jobs as more jobs in BPO and software sectors are expected to open up in the next few years.