A $350,000 state government funded upgrade of the Concentrix call centre at Federation University should leave Ballarat in a strong position to see new jobs as more and more businesses move away from overseas based communications.
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It comes as Westpac became the latest multi-national company to announce it will be moving 1000 call centre jobs that are being carried out in India and the Philippines back to Australia due to complications in overseas operations which have led to slow customer service and cost it business during the pandemic.
A surge in customers needing help and delays in its home loan processing and call centres have also led to its decision to return jobs to Australia.
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That should be good news for the call centre in Ballarat which will see its current capacity expand from 120 seats to 270 thanks to the upgrade.
Executive Director Federation University Technology Park Jeff Pulford said it was the university's aim to create as many jobs locally as it could.
"This is the next step in a six-year relationship we have between the university and Concentrix. We work very closely with this company.
"Concentrix already employs more than 200 people just up the hill, so being to expand to 270 seats is a good opportunity for the company and it clears the way for them to start pursuing larger and more contracts."
Mr Pulford said current employees were a combination of students and community members and he would expect that continue as more contracts were signed.
Contractor S. J. Weir is completing the works at the call centre with expectations it will be ready for employees to move in within the next month. The current Concentrix call centre will move into the new facility when it opens.
Buninyong MP Michaela Settle said the opportunity to provide more jobs locally will support economic and social recovery.
"With a growing push to onshore contact centre work, the new facility will be Concentrix in a great place to secure more work from across Australia," Ms Settle said.
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