The development of skilled BPO personnel is key to Uganda's BPO strategy as it makes efforts to tap into a sector that generates billions of dollars annually in countries like India. The training is aimed at addressing the skills gap that many African operators face compared to service providers in leading BPO destinations like India, Malaysia, South Africa, Egypt and Mauritius.

Makerere University’s School of Computing, one of the top computing schools in the East Africa, partnered with Orion Outsource World and the African BPO Academy (ABA) to deliver a two-month training course to 485 pioneer students.

The training took the students through the basics of working in the BPO industry, dealing with different cultures and international markets in a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week environment and working with different technology, according to Betty Bigombe, the chairperson of the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U).

The training ultimately targets some 3,000 young Ugandans. One goal is to give them the requisite skills to deal with the challenge of working without necessarily meeting face-to-face the individuals they will be serving. The program will also act as a benchmark for other training institutions within Uganda.

The training curriculum was designed to provide the participants with the necessary knowledge and skills that can enable them to pass the internationally accredited certification offered by the BPO Certification Institute (BCI), a global leader in outsourcing training and certification.