Bacolod City has sealed an unprecedented pact with seven leading business process outsourcing (BPO) firms to pilot a “near-hire” program that converts promising applicants into job-ready agents in just 10 days.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez witnessed the signing of the memorandum of agreement with industry leaders Concentrix, Ubiquity, Transcom, Teleperformance, InteLogix, Iqor, Global Strategic, marking the first local-government-led initiative of its kind in Western Visayas and on Negros Island.
10-day boot camp turns applicants into agents
The initiative will train the pilot batch of 25 scholars through a simulation-rich boot camp hosted by Bacolod City College (BCC). The training mirrors real-world contact center scenarios, including customer support, data security, and tech troubleshooting.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) provides the curriculum standards, certifications, and funding through its Enterprise-Based Education Training Framework. BPO partners will contribute trainers, assessment tools, and real-time industry insights.
Upon completion, qualified graduates will be fast-tracked to interviews and potential job offers from participating companies.
Building a home-grown digital workforce
Chief Frances Mae Llamas of the Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion (D-LEDIP) stated that the program addresses the “skills gap in the BPO sector” through targeted, job-ready training. She added that the model reduces recruitment costs and increases job placement rates for both applicants and companies.
Meanwhile, Mayor Benitez added that anchoring the academy in Bacolod keeps young talent at home while strengthening the city’s bid to become a regional information and communication technology (ICT) hub. “It will benefit the companies that will join because it will be easier for them to find employees to hire,” he said.
For BPO firms, the partnership guarantees a steady flow of pre-screened candidates versed in company-specific workflow, reducing onboarding time and attrition. Llamas said more providers are already lining up for future cohorts as the program welcomes open enrollment.
To ensure long-term impact, BCC will integrate industry-led modules into its academic curriculum next semester, creating a steady stream of “near-hire-ready” graduates year-round. Llamas confirmed that more BPO companies have expressed interest in joining future cohorts.
With the pilot program kicking off in July, Bacolod’s public-private-academic alliance is expected to become a national model. It transforms classroom learning into career-ready skills and places thousands of Filipinos on a fast track to high-value digital jobs.
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Gomez, C. P. (2025, March 17). Bacolod training program for near hires set: Albee. Digicast Negros. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://digicastnegros.com/bacolod-training-program-for-near-hires-set-albee/
Bacolod City Government. (n.d.). BACOLOD CITY, TESDA, AND UBIQUITY BRIDGE SKILLS GAP WITH NEW TRAINING PROGRAM FOR BPO CAREERS. Retrieved July 1, 2025, from https://bacolodcity.gov.ph/bacolod-city-tesda-and-ubiquity-bridge-skills-gap-with-new-training-program-for-bpo-careers/
