The province has 25 vocational-technical college campuses under the wing of the Ministry of Education. Business partnerships to support training programs are often in place. Programs ranging from a few weeks to two semesters of full-time training are popular because they promise lucrative employment within about a year, but some students are hired during internships and never finish the college program. Seneca College's contact center program evolved as an add-on to financial, insurance and paralegal programs. Ontario's prominence in the financial markets has created another opportunity for expatriate professionals whose native certifications may not allow them to work in their traditional occupations in Canada.
Call centers are a springboard.
Someone certified as an attorney in India or an accountant in the United Arab Emirates may have a long academic road to practice law or accounting in Canada or the United States. But the same person can get work as a CSR at a brokerage or banking center and advance quickly to higher-paid online trader or trading counselor positions. IT workers can get higher-paying CSR jobs on help desks. One jewel in Sitel Corp.'s crown is a contact center that is dedicated primarily to help desk activities for Compaq computers. Although Sitel has lease options to expand the facility to accommodate other clients, Banerjee describes the Compaq operation as a partnership.