BPO- The Other Side

Images of Business Process Outsourcing(BPO) units are always full of young yuppies assuming a new identity and conversing in a foreign accent with clients abroad. So this invariably brings the argument that BPOs cannot help provide jobs to the millions of underprivileged youth. But there is another side to the BPO business that the media never potrays. There are thousands of small outfits working from dingy premises and employing not more than 20-30 people carrying out tasks such as data conversion , transcription etc. The persons employed here have to have some basic school education along with bare knowledge of computer operation and English. Though the salaries paid for such persons can in no way match the good pay packages of the top outfits atleast it is better than staying jobless at home.
It is in one such BPO outfit that i met Haribabu who had just completed his 12th standard at a government school. He was directly taken from school and trained by iLEAD(Institute for Livelihood Education and Development), a program run by Aid et Action for underprivileged youths. He was trained in the ITES stream for a period of 4 months and was placed immediately in a BPO outfit with a starting salary of Rs2000. Although this may not seem fantastic for most of us, it is still a huge sum for the vast majority in our country. Plus we should also realize the impact this has on the whole family. Haribabu comes from a family of 3 siblings where he is the eldest. His meagre salary will enable his siblings to complete their education and hopefully go for some higher education. I believe opportunities should be provided to more such Haribabus for only then will India's growth story truly shine.

Haribabu is first from right