What Role Does Upskilling Play in Career Advancement?
- Published
Impact hiring is a potent strategy for companies to demonstrate their commitment to positively influencing employment within their communities and beyond, particularly through business process outsourcing (BPO). Socially responsible outsourcing strategies can significantly impact under-resourced communities, especially in emerging markets with untapped talent pools. However, for many organizations, realizing long-term value from impact sourcing presents considerable challenges.
With the fastest-growing youth population globally, it’s no surprise that many African countries, including South Africa, face high youth unemployment rates. Many young South Africans show a genuine drive to find employment yet are dismissed simply because they lack experience or digital skills. This is where impact sourcing can make a tangible, valuable contribution to youth employment figures. However, to maximize the opportunities that arise from the impact sourcing model, companies must be intentional about the need for ongoing investment beyond the initial hire.
Onboarding youths with few to no workplace skills takes time and requires companies to allocate resources to training. By following the impact sourcing model, companies help these new team members make an immediate positive impact on their families and communities. Coupled with an intentional focus on skills development post-hire, organizations also invest in building expertise for the broader BPO industry across South Africa and the continent.
The Journey of Training
The BPO industry is unique in that it offers an entry into sustainable employment for young South Africans from under-resourced communities with a low barrier to entry. However, for entry-level team members to thrive and grow, organizations must embrace an embedded learning and development culture that empowers people with core skills, helping them create long-lasting and fruitful careers.
As a starting point, it’s essential for companies to collaborate with impact sourcing innovators who understand the needs of the BPO industry and provide workplace readiness training programs that feed the “Street to Seat” employment model. These training programs are critical in offering necessary basic training and opportunities for highly driven, skilled young people from under-resourced environments.
To ensure the success of the “Street to Seat” employment model, companies must then invest further in a holistic training ecosystem where skills can be built from an entry-level low base, with the goal of layering skills throughout the team member’s development journey. These opportunities and necessary training help young people set out a career for themselves rather than viewing the BPO industry as just a springboard to another job.
Tailoring Training to Fit Industry Needs
One key lesson for organizations is that one size does not fit all. Different industry verticals within the BPO industry have varying skills and training requirements. Another challenge the BPO industry must address is upskilling individuals from under-resourced backgrounds with the knowledge and skills to engage and interact with customers from very different backgrounds.
This is particularly important in the luxury goods and travel environments, where a young person may be expected to assist a customer with, for example, flight ticket changes. Understanding the travel industry is crucial for successful customer engagement, and it is vital to provide employees with the tools and resources to understand the customer’s needs and pain points.
Iterative Learning and Continuous Improvement
We have discovered this ourselves. Through an outcomes-based training approach, our organization continuously strives to ensure that people have the skills and knowledge to provide world-class service to partners and customers. Continuous development programs identify areas or opportunities for customized training to enhance service delivery, while an iterative refinement process helps refine each training cycle. We assist each individual with a possible career journey, enabling them to shift their mindset from a job to a career path with various possibilities.
Across Africa, the BPO industry is a growth industry, and the entire BPO ecosystem can only benefit from the development of skilled professionals within the sector. South Africa is globally recognized as a center of excellence for impact sourcing, championing transformation, diversity, equity, and inclusion, while being acknowledged as a leading customer service offshore delivery destination. There is great opportunity for industry expansion locally. The South African BPO market was valued at USD 2.16 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 6.49 billion by 2031, expanding at a CAGR of 13% between 2023 and 2031.
By committing to a culture of continuous learning, our youth can see how, with the right commitment from themselves and the upskilling opportunities provided by their organizations, they can build very successful careers in the BPO industry.
By Thomas Sibanda, Managing Executive: Training at CCI