Lason India implements BPO curriculum

Lason India, a Chennai-based BPO firm, has announced implementation of its new 'campus model' in a collge in Tamil Nadu to make the students employable as soon as they complete their degrees.

Under this campus model, the company has developed a BPO course curriculum, which focuses on healthcare BPO services. The company implemented this model in Nehru Memorial Arts and Science College (NMASC) at Puthanampatti, near Tiruchi.

In the pilot batch, about 150 students opted to take up the course and 87 students were selected and given training in two different batches. Out of 87, Lason absorbed 32 students.

Addressing a press conference, Thomas Denomme, director, Lason India, said that the results of the model were encouraging as the students absorbed by Lason were 'industry ready.'

As the BPO industry is faced with the challenge of shortage of skilled manpower, Lason came out with this initiative to involve colleges in creating a curriculum for BPO industry and helping the graduates start their work from day one, once employed, he said. This would result in a reduction of at least 30 per cent in training time for BPO firms.

The implementation of the first campus model in NMASC is an extension of the already existing relationship between Lason and NMASC as the former has been a regular campus recruiter at NMASC.

However, Denomme said that Lason had plans to launch similar programmes in other educational institutions across Tamil Nadu. Even if Lason doesn't take the graduates, the programme will go on, he added.

S Ramalingam, principal, NMASC, said that at present, the BPO curriculum was offered as an elective subject to M Sc and MCA students in the college and soon it will be offered to other graduate and post graduate courses.

The curriculum fits into 3 semesters, which includes both theory and practical exposure. "The course enhances the confidence level of the students coming from rural areas and makes them employable," he added.

Three of the faculties from NMASC, the first college to introduce graduate course in computer science in Tamil Nadu, took up the course on BPO-healthcare at Lason during last summer vacation. This was followed by designing of the curriculum for the BPO-healthcare. Senior offices of Lason would visit the college and provide lectures to the students on a regular basis.

Lason, a 100 per cent subsidiary of US-based Lason Inc, is also planning to design a BPO curriculum for other verticals like finance and legal services.