Partnership launches BPO Academy at College of Cape Town

The BPO Academy is also the first of its kind, in that it is a unique example of a learning and skills development initiative made possible through a partnership between both government and the private sector. These stakeholders include the Western Cape Government, City of Cape Town, Cape BPO and the public Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college, College of Cape Town.

It is this partnership that has resulted in close collaboration on the design of the curriculum offered at the BPO Academy to ensure graduates are workplace ready and have the relevant, high-quality skills that are endorsed by the Service SETA and required by the fast-growing BPO sector.

Initially focusing on voice skills, the curriculum at the BPO Academy will expand along the full BPO value chain of skills requirements including ICT, finance and accounting and other middle and back-office capabilities, offering young graduates that next step into a career in the BPO sector.

At the launch event, CEO of the College of Cape Town, Louis van Niekerk, said: “The launch of the BPO Academy at the College of Cape Town Gardens campus is an important milestone for the college which seeks to improve responsiveness to industry workforce needs. We are very privileged to be a part of this, and grateful for the opportunity to add value to the BPO sector and create jobs, while growing the College of Cape Town."

Confirming the City of Cape Town’s support for the BPO sector, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, said, “The City of Cape Town will be contributing R55 million over the next three years for jobs training and placement in call centre companies, which has led to the launch of the BPO academy today. I am happy to have worked closely with the Western Cape Government, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the National Skills Fund to ensure this project was approved by full council. That is why we fund CapeBPO, as a Strategic Business Partner (SBP), to grow the industry. I am immensely proud that this partnership has resulted in the addition of 2,633 additional jobs in the last three months alone, despite the Covid-19 lockdown measures.”

The BPO sector has been a great example of resilience and adaption, and despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to contribute to job creation and economic growth in Cape Town and the Western Cape.

In fact, this year 5,000 additional jobs have been created in the BPO sector in Cape Town.

Thanking all the stakeholders involved, CEO of CapeBPO, Gareth Pritchard, said: “The launch of the BPO Academy ... is the culmination of 10 years of hard work to establish a vibrant BPO sector in the Cape. The academy will not only accelerate the growth of talent to support the sector, it will also accelerate the interest of overseas investors considering bringing their business to our shores. What differentiates the Cape is the unique public/private sector partnerships which enables initiatives like this to be implemented.”