TELUS International primes tech talents with the most current in-demand and next-gen skills – BusinessWorld Online

Fast-paced technological advancements have transformed the operations and services of many industries, demanding increasingly greater innovations, a trend that is likely to continue to grow exponentially in the years to come. For tech professionals, this highlight the need for being equipped and primed with the imperative skills of today and for the future.

TELUS International, a digital customer experience (CX) innovator that designs, builds, and delivers next-generation digital solutions for global and disruptive brands, recognizes the need to equip their talented team members with the most current and next-generation skills through a global learning curriculum that is aligned with the demands of the market.

This learning program includes in-house and external training resources for professionals seeking to enhance their technical skill set to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving and increasingly digital job market.

“We strive to transform learning from a passive experience to an active engagement that includes a variety of training methodologies to maximize learner engagement, subject matter retention, and training stickiness,” said Mercedes Posadas, Director of Global Learning Excelente for Digital Solutions at TELUS International.

Through the global learning innovation program, TELUS International team members can learn and further specialize in next-generation skills in areas such as Cloud Computing, Structured Query Language (SQL), Python, and React. Along with these technical skills, the program also provides team members with soft skills aids, including assertive communication, email etiquette, time management, and effective delegation, among others.

Aligned with its focus on next-gen digital technology, training is hosted in a proprietary virtual Knowledge Base, where teams can access the catalog of current resources and complete their assigned curriculum. In addition, the Knowledge Base features optional complementary learning resources in various formats such as webinars, workshops, masterclasses, panels, and one-to-one mentoring. Most of these promote peer-to-peer learning involving hybrid projects with theoretical and practical collaborative sessions.

“Peer-to-peer learning provides a space for Subject Matter Experts to continue refining, improving, and assessing their skills through knowledge transfer and repetition, in addition to honing their public speaking and facilitation capabilities,” said Nalakumar “Nala” RS, Vice-President for Digital Solutions at TELUS International.

Meanwhile, team members can also use an assigned annual budget and enroll in technical training under external accredited institutions, where most of the training is done in a self-paced format.

By learning in a self-paced format, Nala said this could encourage the participating team members to “build autonomy and accountability for their progress and generate crucial information about their learning habits and patterns that they can keep and practice for the rest of their lives.”

TELUS International Digital Solutions’ learning platform has logged more than 9,000 hours of training with over 2,000 active enrollments from professionals in technology roles, across nine worldwide locations as of June 2022.

In terms of outreach to local IT circles, TELUS International looks to abridge the industry digital skills gaps of the Filipino IT workforce, as well as reduce new hires’ time to competency while also continuing to develop in-demand skills for potential.

“[The learning program] supports a learning culture by making skills improvement accessible and a part of ongoing performance discussions, with repercussions on their mid-term career growth paths,” Nala added.

“We leverage the fact that most IT professionals already prefer lifelong learning and seek more training resources to build a competitive career, representing a major driver of engagement for them,” Mercedes Posadas said. “By providing these development and growth resources and learning opportunities, team members are more committed to achieving good business results.”

Cultivating the next generation of job-ready IT professionals

Beyond the tech team members within its organization, TELUS International also seeks to support the next generation of software engineers, programmers, and IT professionals in honing their skills through its Digital Solutions internship program, Code Your Career. This 12-week course equipped 39 junior and senior college students from different schools with knowledge of tech support, IT system analysis, software development, cloud infrastructure, cloud application administration, data analysis, and cybersecurity, as well as guided them on portfolio creation, interview, and CV writing to further prepare them as they enter the job market.

Notably, TELUS International has been recognized as a Gold Learning Elite organization by Chief Learning Officer magazine for its excellent workforce development strategies that generate significant commercial results.

“We believe that a commitment to a customer-focused culture starts with our people,” Nala further emphasized. “This means investing and empowering our teams to truly excel at leveraging cutting-edge technology solutions.”

TELUS International has more than 68,000 global team members from 28 countries who deliver integrated CX and next-gen digital solutions to some of the biggest and most respected brands in the world. It has over 26,000 team members based in the Philippines, across eight CX and IT delivery centers located in Metro Manila and Iloilo.

Over 3,000 team members in The Philippines are dedicated to TELUS International’s technology division, delivering the high-tech, high-touch customer experiences that the tech industry depends upon in today’s highly-competitive market. TELUS International’s Digital Solutions methodologies cover the IT lifecycle from design and construction to delivery, operation, and optimization, including intelligent automation for digital transformation.

With a focus on developing reusable frameworks, TELUS International Digital Solutions guarantees faster market turnaround, reduced costs, maintenance, management, and comprehensive support for application development solutions. With hopes to expand the Digital Solutions operation in the region, TELUS International is attuned to the needs of a globalized world and remains committed to strengthening the telecommunications communities around us while supporting economic growth and job creation.

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