Tunisia: ICT and the Announced 300,000 Jobs
13 January 2011
Read by 1551 persons
Can Tunisia, particularly the public sector, create 300,000 jobs in 2 years and meet this economic challenge? If so, how? And in which economic sector? Industry? Agriculture? Services? Tourism or ICT?
The SSII Chamber "INFOTICA" has undertaken strategic reflection to see how to participate in the creation of at least 20,000 jobs by 2012 in the ICT sector, and particularly in the call center sector. How? And within what timeframe?
The service sector, particularly ICT, remains a real source of jobs, because Tunisia has significant potential that is easy to capitalize on and implement very quickly.
But three conditions are necessary. The first is to have, immediately, in the technological poles, telework centers and other cyber parks inside the country, adequate spaces and buildings ready to accommodate call centers and SSIs. It is with this in mind that the Ministry of Communication Technologies, according to our information, wishes to create 4 call centers in Sidi Bouzid, Jendouba, Kasserine and Douz and to create 600 jobs there in the coming months. However, the question arises of the unavailability of buildings, at least in Jendouba and Douz. Because the capital and the promoter are available. But to build premises, it takes at least 6 months, which means that it will be very difficult to start businesses before September, especially in the interior of the country - which is not the case for regions like Tunis, Sousse or Sfax.
The second condition is what some call "the public purchase order", the clients. It is necessary to oblige - we say "oblige" - the top 200 Tunisian companies and especially national companies to buy positions - about thirty each - in call centers inside Tunisia, like Tunisie Telecom and La Poste tunisienne have been doing for several years.
It is inconceivable, at a time of subcontracting, that the Banque de l'Habitat, the STEG, the CNSS or the CNAM, for example, create their own call center.
A real dissemination strategy must be implemented for all public companies and even a national agency for dissemination must be created.
The third and last condition is to perfect, without delay, the training of young people looking for jobs, particularly in languages and ICT, and to carry out this operation in the evenings in all schools and other public high schools, which can call upon secondary school teachers, for additional remuneration.
This training could last at least one semester, giving each student a scholarship of sixty dinars per month to meet their basic needs; this would push several hundred unemployed people back to school.
The ideas exist in the public sector, now it remains to be seen whether the administration has a capacity to listen to private operators and to change its way of working by associating them with reflection, the implementation of strategies and the design of programs.
In short, a real overhaul of the current way of working to federate the initiatives of the public sector and professionals in the ICT sector.
Published January 13, 2011
Posted online January 13, 2011
webmanagercenter.com
The SSII Chamber "INFOTICA" has undertaken strategic reflection to see how to participate in the creation of at least 20,000 jobs by 2012 in the ICT sector, and particularly in the call center sector. How? And within what timeframe?
The service sector, particularly ICT, remains a real source of jobs, because Tunisia has significant potential that is easy to capitalize on and implement very quickly.
But three conditions are necessary. The first is to have, immediately, in the technological poles, telework centers and other cyber parks inside the country, adequate spaces and buildings ready to accommodate call centers and SSIs. It is with this in mind that the Ministry of Communication Technologies, according to our information, wishes to create 4 call centers in Sidi Bouzid, Jendouba, Kasserine and Douz and to create 600 jobs there in the coming months. However, the question arises of the unavailability of buildings, at least in Jendouba and Douz. Because the capital and the promoter are available. But to build premises, it takes at least 6 months, which means that it will be very difficult to start businesses before September, especially in the interior of the country - which is not the case for regions like Tunis, Sousse or Sfax.
The second condition is what some call "the public purchase order", the clients. It is necessary to oblige - we say "oblige" - the top 200 Tunisian companies and especially national companies to buy positions - about thirty each - in call centers inside Tunisia, like Tunisie Telecom and La Poste tunisienne have been doing for several years.
It is inconceivable, at a time of subcontracting, that the Banque de l'Habitat, the STEG, the CNSS or the CNAM, for example, create their own call center.
A real dissemination strategy must be implemented for all public companies and even a national agency for dissemination must be created.
The third and last condition is to perfect, without delay, the training of young people looking for jobs, particularly in languages and ICT, and to carry out this operation in the evenings in all schools and other public high schools, which can call upon secondary school teachers, for additional remuneration.
This training could last at least one semester, giving each student a scholarship of sixty dinars per month to meet their basic needs; this would push several hundred unemployed people back to school.
The ideas exist in the public sector, now it remains to be seen whether the administration has a capacity to listen to private operators and to change its way of working by associating them with reflection, the implementation of strategies and the design of programs.
In short, a real overhaul of the current way of working to federate the initiatives of the public sector and professionals in the ICT sector.
Published January 13, 2011
Posted online January 13, 2011
webmanagercenter.com
