Wagga Wagga in call centre coup
TAFE NSW – Riverina Institute has secured a 12 month contract to supply training in Certificates II and III in Telecommunications (Call Centre) for the newly opened Salmat call centre in Wagga Wagga.

Salmat is providing outsourced facilities in the new 222-seat call centre to Telstra as part of its general retail residential solutions. Salmat now has five call centres across eastern Australia, employing a total of 670 agents, making it the largest Australian-owned outsourced call centre operator in the country.

Call Centre Manager Brad Beutel said Salmat had recruited all its agents from the Wagga Wagga region and would continue to do so as the centre’s workload increased.

‘Riverina Institute has been very supportive and has provided valuable assistance in developing training strategies for this world class facility,’ said Mr Beutel.

According to Business Development Manager, Ian Begg, Riverina Institute was involved at the outset and instrumental in helping Wagga City Council attract Salmat to the region.

‘We took a holistic approach,’ said Mr Begg. ‘We sat down with the company, looked at what they were trying to achieve, and focussed on the big picture.

‘As a result, we’re implementing the concept of lifelong learning by putting in place a program which takes trainees right through from Certificate to Diploma level. Two of the team leaders have the option of doing a Certificate III in Business, a third is doing Frontline Management, and the administrative staff can undertake Certificate III in Business Administration. We’re also providing their OH&S training.’

The flow-on effect is likely to be significant, Mr Begg said. ‘We estimate nearly $45 million will be injected into the local economy.’

The initial tender was put in as a joint submission with the Wagga City Council Commercial Response Unit. Salmat considered several locations, and once Wagga was chosen, Riverina Institute then competed against 10 other local training providers to clinch the deal. This will be the first time Riverina Institute has undertaken call centre training on this scale.

‘We are very pleased to be working with them on this important contract,’ Mr Beutel said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS STORY
CONTACT: IAN BEGG
TAFE NSW – RIVERINA INSTITUTE
TEL: (02) 6938 1468

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