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							                           ADDRESS BY HON D. GOKHOOL
                 MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES


   On the occasion of the Launching Ceremony of the Training Programme in Call
                                   Centre Operations


                            Monday 9th July 2007 at 14 00 hrs
                                   Conference Room –
                                  Cyber Tower 1, Ebene




Distinguished Guests,
Ladies & Gentlemen


Good afternoon and thank you all for being present


I feel highly privileged to be present this afternoon together with my colleague, the Hon
Minister of IT on the occasion of the launching ceremony of the training programme for Call
Centre Operations. The launch of this training programme is in line with the government
budget 2007-2008 which aims at promoting the training of around 5000 persons to meet the
requirements of the ICT sector.


I would wish at the very outset to thank the chairman of the Government Empowerment
Programme for having kindly agreed to finance the training under the Empowerment
Scheme.


NHRD Plan
Ladies & Gentlemen, the HRDC, in its role as facilitator, is called upon to promote human
resource development in line with the national, economic and social objectives of the
country and is equally called upon to take appropriate measures to reduce the mismatch
between the demand and supply of human resources.           This was the main message


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contained in the National Human Resource Development Plan which has been made
official.


As part of its implementation strategy for the NHRD Plan, HRDC is called upon to develop
schemes for retraining and multi-skilling so that our labour force is made more employable
and the human resource requirements of the country are met. It is precisely in this context
that the HRDC is organizing this training programme in response to the demand from the
industry. I equally understand that the curriculum has been worked out and vetted by the
industry.




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Technology
Ladies & Gentlemen, ever since I assumed office as Minister of Education and HR, one of
my major priorities has been the application of technology in our educational institutions so
that we can equip our students with the relevant IT skills which will allow them to enter the
world of work more easily.


In this context, the different initiatives taken by the Government and especially the IC3
programme aimed at training 400,000 people are clear indications of our intention to make
Mauritius an ICT Hub in this part of the world. As you are all aware, our objective is to
provide a World Class Quality Education and HR Base and the promotion of ICT at all levels
of the population is a major step towards this goal.


ITES-BPO
Ladies & Gentlemen, the ICT Sector is called upon to play a catylic role in the new
economic agenda and has been developing at a very rapid pace in Mauritius.


Ladies and Gentlemen, we are today operating in a globalized environment where
competition has become the order of the day. Call Centres and BPO units are located
worldwide. The scope of development in this sector is very high. As you are all aware the
ITES-BPO sector is booming worldwide and is expected to grow further in terms of global
outsourcing. Infact, with an annual growth of more than 10% the worldwide BPO market is
expected to reach around US $310 bl by 2008. India controls nearly 55% of this market.
Therefore, the outsourcing market outside India which represents 45% of the total market
provides ample opportunities for economies like Mauritius to come in. The sector is therefore
a very promising one and this explains the reason why we are presently laying so much
emphasis on its development.


The latest report of the BOI published in April 2007 indicates that the ITES-BPO sector
comprised 185 companies employing 6960 persons.            This represents an increase in
employment of around 26.2% over the past six months. It is equally found that 52% of the
people working in the sector were employed in the Call Centres while around 35% were
employed in the BPO Sector.




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The Software Development Sector employed around 10% of the workers and the rest were
scattered over other areas like Disaster Recovery, Multimedia, Data Digitalization, Website
Development and others. It is equally expected that the ICT Sector will maintain if not better
its dynamism with growth being driven by the rising interest from multinationals to use
Mauritius as a strategic business location.


This implies that we are moving up the value chain and going into activities with higher
knowledge content. The growth in employment and the continuous advertisements in the
local press by call centres for recruitment of workers are clear indications of a sustained and
rapidly booming sector.


Lack of Trained Personnel
Such a buoyant situation in the ITES-BPO sector has led to a severe lack of trained
personnel and the industry is therefore finding it more and more difficult to get qualified
manpower in order to support its expansion. This increasing need for trained manpower has
necessitated different interventions by institutions including the HRDC to promote and
facilitate the development of appropriate human resources.            Government through its
budgetary provision and the Empowerment Programme is providing a big push so that the
sector gets the required number of trained people. We do not want investors to come and to
face the difficulty of a lack of trained manpower. We want to remain competitive by ensuring
a continuous supply of trained manpower. However, it is important that the industry should
also play its role. Government is here to facilitate the process through an initial support and
it is comforting to find that many of the call centres are coming up with domain specific
training programmes which would complement the generic programmes like the one which
is being launched this afternoon.


Ladies & Gentlemen, the nature and modes of training are changing.                    Maximum
effectiveness comes when the training is linked with practical attachments in the real world
of work. The training programme which is being launched today has a major component of
practical attachment which will be done in the call centres. Infact, the majority of the training
providers are call centres operating in Mauritius.        This blend of theory and practical
attachment will not only complement each other but will equally help to increase the
employability of the trainees.      Training programmes being facilitated by the HRDC will
continuously ensure such a mix of training and placement.



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Costs and Stipends
I equally understand that the Empowerment Programme will not only meet the training costs
but will also arrange for the payment of a stipend to the trainees as is the case for training
and placement under the other schemes being operated under the Empowerment
Programme. This shows the government’s determination to promote effective development
of our human capital. I would therefore make a plea to all the participants on this training
programme to give the best of themselves so that they can derive the maximum benefit in
terms of knowledge and skills. It is also comforting to note that this training programme is
based on the Standards set by the Mauritius Qualifications Authority. This will therefore
allow the trainees to earn a certain number of credits which they can use subsequently to
build upon while following other MQA approved training programmes. It goes in line the
government objective of promoting lifelong learning and training.


Evaluation of Training
Ladies and Gentlemen, the government is investing a substantial amount in his training
project and it is important that we get value for money in return. The HRDC, in collaboration
with the MQA, will effect monitoring and evaluation of the training programme so as to
ensure that the objectives are met. I would consequently make an appeal to the training
providers and the call centres to maintain high standards as we would be ensuring rigorous
monitoring.




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Mindset
I would equally wish to take this opportunity to raise another major issue which is of national
importance.   Ladies and Gentlemen, you would surely be aware that we are presently
confronted with a major problem of mindset and attitude towards work. We have a large
number of people presently unemployed and yet many of them are not willing to come
forward and take up the job opportunities which are being offered. For instance, for the
present training programme more that 500 applications were received. However, only 275
turned up for the interview and around 190 have accepted to follow the training while jobs
exist in the sector for a much larger number of people. I would therefore make an appeal to
all the participants to ensure that they complete the training which will be spanning over 6 to
8 weeks and to take up the job offers which would surely be available subsequently in the
Call Centres. This training programme will not only allow you to get a job in the ICT Industry
but will equally make you more employable and open new avenues in other sectors like the
Tourism Industry.


However, the operation of the ITES-BPO sector requires a 24hr operation while in Mauritius
we are used to a 9 to 4 attitude towards work. It is high time that we start realizing that if
work attitudes do not change and if our labour force cannot adapt to the changing work
environment, it might become a major stumbling block.


It is mainly because of the need to change such a work attitude at the national level and to
ensure the development of a 24/7 economy that my Ministry through the HRDC is working
on a National Sensitization Campaign aimed at changing work attitudes and mindset. You
will all experience this need for a new mindset once you start the training and attachment
and I would make an appeal to all of you to adjust to these requirements of the newly
emerging labour market.


The present training programme aims at meeting the needs of the call centres and we will
continue facilitating such training. I equally understand, however, that the BPO enterprises
have also approached the HRDC to facilitate the training of workers in the different areas of
the emerging BPO market like medical outsourcing, legal outsourcing, international air
ticketing, financial outsourcing and so on. The challenge lying ahead is therefore a major
one and I am confident that through appropriate policy measures we will be able to face it



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collectively. We therefore rely on the collaboration of one and all in order to make Mauritius
a major ICT Hub.


To conclude ladies and gentlemen, I would wish to reiterate my appeal to all of you to
collaborate in this venture. It is a long journey which aims at reinventing and transforming
Mauritius and to make ourselves relevant to the 21st century world. We need to change our
mindset and adapt to changing economic requirements. I am confident that you will all help
us in attaining this noble objective.


Thank you for your attention and I wish all the best in your Training Programme.




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