Kabataan ITo Project for the Youth 18-24 y.o.

Kabataan ITo Project - Wanted Mentors 18-24 y.o.

garage sale and open house - dec 17-18,2009

FIRST SCRIBE OLYMPICS IN DAVAO CITY

Transcription Week (Nov 11-12,2009)

“Competition creates better products, alliances create better companies.” - by Brian Graham

OPEN HOUSE Nov 20-21,2009

GARAGE SALE Nov 20-21,2009

IELTS AND CIVIL SERVICE REVIEW

JOB HIRING FOR ENGLISH MENTORS

OWWA AND TRANSCRIPTION

Davao's Transcription Week and Scribe Olympics

JOBS FAIR AT ICT SUMMIT 2009 - August 6-7, 2009

Looking for a JoB?

Join ICT Summit Jobs Fair Aug. 6-7, 2009 @ Davao Convention Center.

Davao & Manila Employers will be there to hire IT-BPO Professionals (Transcriptionists, Call center agents,

software developers, programmers, IT professional etc)

SPi headhunting expedition to Davao

Job Generation: The Challenge

SPI Technologies Inc., one of the world’s leading business process outsourcing (BPO) service providers for transcriptions came to Davao City last June 19, 2009 to assess the medical transcription talent pool for deployment to their Cebu and Manila-based operations.

With MTC Academy-Davao City (Nanoscript Inc.) as their recruitment partner, the task of advertising the job vacancies amounting to 300 transcribers was immediately communicated via an email blast and poster announcement. Complimenting this effort, MTC Academy Davao joined the June 12-14, 2009 DOLE Jobs Fair and putting up ads in several social and public service networks.

With over 50 applicants answering the call for resume submissions, MTC Davao administered its screening and assessment tools to assess the readiness of the pool.

The surplus in allied health professionals, in particular nurses, who are not able to leave the country for work abroad has made medical transcription an appealing alternative. The increasing unemployment rate in the City has also pre-disposed the non medical graduate pool to check the opportunities in this sector. Thus an overwhelmingly sizable number of job applicants coming from the various industries and from various parts of the city and its outskirts.

Medical Transcription: The Job

Medical transcriptionists listen to dictated recordings made by physicians and other health care professionals and transcribe them into medical reports, correspondence, and other administrative material. MTs generally listen to recordings on a headset, using a foot pedal to pause the recording when necessary, and key the text into a personal computer or word processor, editing as necessary for grammar and clarity. The documents they produce include discharge summaries, medical history and physical examination reports, operative reports, consultation reports, autopsy reports, diagnostic imaging studies, progress notes, and referral letters. Medical transcriptionists return transcribed documents to the physicians or other health care professionals who dictated them for review and signature or correction. These documents eventually become part of patients’ permanent files.

BPO Units: The Answer

SPI Technologies was founded in the Philippines in 1980. It is now a multi-country outsourcing provider with over 6,500 employees in 24 locations across the United States, Europe and Asia. It serves various markets in the publishing, financial services, health care, legal and retail areas.

In the Philippines, SPI employs 4,000 people, representing about 65 percent of its global workforce.

Aggressive in its hiring mode, SPI Training Director Rainier R. Egos came with its Vice President for Asian Operations Mr. Francis Patalinghug.

Mr. Patalinghug joined SPi in 2008 to lead and manage the Healthcare operations in both Philippines and India. He has 24 years of extensive experience in the field of manufacturing in the areas of process development, work simplification, volume-ramp management and productivity improvement, among others. Throughout his career, Francis held various senior positions in companies like NEC Technologies, Philippines; Loctite Philippines and Amkor Technology Philippines. His most recent position was with Claymount Assemblies Philippines, where he was their Manufacturing Director. Francis is a graduate of BS Chemical Engineering from the University of San Carlos, Philippines.

Recent developments show that SPI Technology had just recently opened its medical transcription facility at Asiatown IT Park, Cebu City. It has over 500 seats and has hired 150 employees with medical backgrounds for the said branch.

SPi serves hundreds of healthcare clients across the US. They range in size and scale from some of the largest hospitals, to large university teaching facilities, to mid-size physician practices. And at each of these organizations, we regularly work with different individuals to meet the needs of their specific programs.

SPi and Its Underlying Principles

Its byline: Global Resources. Customer-Centric Solutions.

SPi has been known to deliver highly accurate medical transcription services, 24 hours a day, every day, to hospitals, physician practices, and other healthcare organizations across North America. Now true to its form to go global has literally made its presence in the Asian Region.

It recently inked an agreement to buy the medical transcription business of India-based KG Information Services Private Limited located in Coimbatore, which has a capacity of 800 seats.

SPI has also expanded its Dumaguete publishing facility to accommodate additional 450 staff members.

Mr. Patalinghug on the other hand cited that SPi does not subcontract transcription to other vendors. The service they provide is handled by their own team of well-trained, experienced, and carefully screened professional medical language specialists: men and women who are fully accountable to SPi. Their data security meets or exceeds all HIPAA standards, and their medical language specialists are supported by hands-on experienced supervisors, project managers and experts in medical terminology. These factors help to account for their 98% plus level of accuracy.

Seeing the great potential of Davaoeños as potential human resource backed up by their level of proficiency in the command of the English language and intonation they deemed it vital to tap resources from the city.

The Results

Last July 17, 2009 after almost a month long wait for the results, SPi has released the results of the almost 54 candidates.

Seven were considered for OJT Training (Basic MT Training) in MTC Davao, namely Kenneth Robbe Apresa, Daniel Bok, Lixel Arbas, Jonie Jane Tayhon, Gypsy Jennsen Arquio, Celeste Ang and Jeanelyn Andrin.

For Apprenticeship training in SPi’s Manila facility are Bjarnye Ysatisse Pedida, Joebert Sarong and Scott Philip Carmen. Mr. Carmen will only train for 1 month and will be considered as MT Probationary in Manila.

For OJT training in SPi’s Cebu facility are Ma. Elaisa Evangelio and Shannen Kinichi Aquino. The former for Basic MT Training and the latter for Apprenticeship. Chester Von Ferrer and Julie Anne Butlig were also considered of Apprenticeship in their Cebu facility.

Congratulations to those who made it. The three-type examination they had encountered that day and the waiting time for the interview seemed to be a mazelike race they underwent. Indeed the road to success has a very thin and narrow pathway. Biblically many indeed are called but few are chosen. Nevertheless, the thrill and excitement of acquiring a job with one of the most formidable company in the country is an insurmountable feat to achieve.

MTC Academy then is looking forward for a possible partnership with SPi Technologies and ePLDT in training and acquiring more medical transcriptionists in the City of Davao. A realization that Davao City is a mine of potential human resource in this arena validating what was stipulated in the survey by Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), a research company on the Asian Cities of the Future that Davao City, along with Singapore and Hong Kong, is in the top five cities in Asia with the best human resource. Further, Davao City was also listed in the top ten Asian cities in the same survey. This venture will help the human resource pool for medical transcription mature as they are being exposed to big companies like SPi Technologies and in turn will benefit Davao Transcription industry for having more competent transcriptionists who will soon come back to Davao.

“Good job, Jenifer”, says PGMA to the SONA Honoree from Davao City.

Amidst the thunderous applause that resonated in the Batasan, jubilant over the accomplishments of President Gloria Macapagal during the 9^th State of the Nation Address for the 3rd Regular Session of the 14th Congress, it could not be discounted that there too were many exchanged sarcasms.

But what is resounding to the world of Medical Transcriptionists and Davaoeños, if not the entire nation in general is the name “Jenifer Silbor.” Just exactly who is Jennifer Silbor, the SONA Honoree mentioned by GMA? If FVR has Mang Pandoy, is Jenifer Silbor his counterpart? Is her success story a laurel to one of the many PGMA projects?

Jenifer Aileen B. Silbor was among the SONA Honorees invited by the President through the Presidential Management Staff and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). But to us, she is more than what was presented last July 27. She is an MTC Academy – Davao alumni, a recipient of the PGS scholarship program under TESDA. She graduated last November 2008 and because of her exemplary performance, she was then immediately accepted in December 2008 as a home-based medical transcriptionist for MTC Academy – Davao’s sister company, ZipIT Solutions Inc. . Further was hired as a medical transcription mentor for MTC Academy-Davao.

The honor, the accomplishment, the financial independence gained marked the many facets of who Jenifer Silbor is. Dedication, hard work, determination and perseverance were attributes that Jeni possessed…traits that earned her a place not only for her family, her workplace but the entire country as well.

A feat that any diligent, spiritually driven and emotionally motivated Filipino can achieve.

"In technical education and skills training, we have invested three times that of three previous administrations combined. Narito si Jennifer Silbor, isa sa sampung milyong trainee. Natuto siya ng medical transcription. Now, as an independent contractor and lecturer for transcriptions in Davao, kumikita siya ng P18,000 bawat buwan. Good job, Jennifer. "-PGMA (SONA 2009)

OPEN HOUSE AT MTC ACADEMY

My struggles and success as an OFW dependent

I have been living away from my mother who is an OFW in Japan since high school. As a Computer Science undergraduate of USEP, I wanted to prove to her that I can achieve some degree of self-reliance even before completing my bachelor's degree.

I first heard of medical transcription during an in-campus orientation. We were told that it would take several months only to complete and that a medical background was not necessary. I had some hesitation being a non-medical undergraduate and with no knowledge of medical terminologies. I had fears of not meeting the standards for becoming a good transcriber.

Still, I went ahead and enrolled relying purely on my computer literacy and determination. I encountered many difficulties while studying. Most of my classmates had allied health backgrounds, many were far older than me and I was having difficulty with medical terms. I realized that I needed to be a quick learner because the pace of the lectures is fast.

I finished the program in 8 months. I was offered a chance to join a local transcription team and have started to earn from the part-time work that's given me. With the OJT exposure I received, aside from medical transcription, I can now do legal and business transcription.

I feel grateful and lucky to be part of the BPO Industry at such a young age. Having proven that Ican earn even without a college degree, I feel more confident now that I am no longer part of the unemployed population of Davao City. My mother in Japan was happy to receive news of my new skill and has promised to extend more support so I can continue to pursue my college degree while working as a part-time transcriber.

Chester Von Ferrer

Undergraduate

OFW Dependent

Independent Contractor

Transcriptionist

RN na, transcriber pa!

Until several months ago, I was part of the 2.7 million jobless Filipinos and nursing graduates who are still financially dependent on their parents and generous relatives.

My friends had expressed keen interest in it so I went along, took the exam and fortunately, passed the assessment. I attended a FREE Career Orientation in December of 2008. Listening to the presentation, I was amazed at the multitude of opportunities to both the physically competent as well as the physically impaired. Who knew that this simple “go-with-the-flow” attitude would lead me to become part of a transcription team called ZipIT Solutions after less than 2 months of training.

My nursing background was a distinct advantage and well into the MT program, I realized that I can get updated with the new medical practices in the US, enhance my English proficiency and familiarity with foreign accents and familiarize myself with US drug terms skills that are essential to my dream of working abroad.

Having finished the MT program, I have now become a home-based, independent contractor. And that's an entirely different experience……I get to “go to work” without having to worry about what to wear, what perfume to put on, how to style my hair and worry about jeepney/taxi fare. I am now on my way to financial independence while working consistently on giving quality service through nearly perfect files submitted on time, all the time.

I definitely feel that I have the distinct advantage over others as the MT skills that I now possessed have further enhanced my overall capability to be a competent member of the health management industry both here and in the US.

Scott Philip Carmen

Registered Nurse

San Pedro College

Medical Transcriptionist

ZipIT Solutions, Inc.

Scholarships for BPO skills of OFW Dependents Brings Hope for Displaced Workers

In a recent visit by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Davao City last February 19, 2009, Davaoenos welcomed the good news that the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has continued to offer scholarships for skills training for OFW’s dependents. The scholarship called, “Skills-for-Employment Scholarship Program (SESP)” enables a qualified applicant to avail of either a one-year or a six-month technical vocational course with financial assistance of P14,500.00 paid directly to the training provider. OWWA beneficiaries, to include the spouse of a married OFW, children not older than 21 years old, or a sibling not older than 21 years of a single OFW, may now qualify for application to the SESP.

While the OWWA scholarship may be used for any technical training program, the ICT & IT-BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry of Davao City through TADI (Transcription Alliance of Davao, Inc.) has emphasized the need for qualified transcription manpower as the demand for trained transcribers continues to rise. The 2008 projection for number of transcription jobs is seen to grow by at least 35% over previous year.

Since 2007, MTC Academy, a transcription training service provider, has trained and graduated 8 number of OWWA scholars. Many of these scholars have been extended job placement assistance and have been deployed in various transcription service companies operating of Davao City. Some OWWA scholar/graduates have also successfully transitioned to become home-based transcription service providers. MTC Academy will continue to accept OWWA-SESP scholars for training in business, legal or medical transcriptions.

Now, more than ever, there is a pressing need for the workforce to build BPO-related skills to cope with the projected robust growth of the non-voice sector (transcriptions, data entry, web & graphics development and animation). With the increasing number of displaced OFW workers, the IT-BPO industry is seen as a bright spot that can cushion the impact of the global crisis to the Philippine economy.

5.66 Billion of PGSP Subsidy in 2009 Up for Grabs for Davaoeños

Since 2006 the government has aggressively pursued the goal of 1 Million jobs by 2010 through the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP). For the year 2009, a total of 809,800 scholarship slots are up for grabs under the PGSP or the Pangulong Gloria Scholarship Program administered by the Technical Educational Skills and Development Authority (TESDA). The announcement was made by Regional Director Elmer K. Talavera during a meeting with technical vocational schools last February 9, 2009 at the Korea-Philippines Training Center in Buhisan, Tibungco, Davao City.

RD Talavera also mentioned that Davao del Sur including Davao City will be awarding a total of 14,000 scholarships. "The scholar is also given a daily allowance of P60 to cover for transportation and food while in attendance to the program," Talavera said.

Included in the TESDA list of programs which can qualify under the PGSP program is the Finishing Course in Medical Transcription NCII (160 hours) and Finishing Course in Legal Transcription NCII (160 hours). Since 2006, MTC Academy, a transcription training provider has accepted to its transcription training program over 100 TESDA scholars. The visually impaired (VIs) are among the recipients of the scholarship and several graduates are now working with local transcription companies in Davao City.

The IT-BPO industry in Davao City through its prime mover, ICT Davao Inc. welcomes the PGSP implementation as it gears up to encourage broad participation for BPO careers which is seen to grow by 35% in 2008. BPO employment is expected to contribute positively to improving the quality of life among Davaoenos as more ICT and IT-BPO investments is expected to flow into the City especially after the highly successful participation in the e-Services, an annual ICT event, where the Davao delegation sat in numerous business matching meetings.

Be an accomplished Business Transcriber or Virtual Secretary in 3 weeks

Every company that is registered with the stock market has to stick to the condition of conducting quarterly meetings of their businesses thereby updating their investors on their level of business performance. As these meetings move ahead, a coordinator has to capture the meeting, store it in the form of an audio file, and get it converted to text by a transcriptionist. The transcriptionist listens to the audio file, modifies it to text and sends it back to the customer in text format.

Business transcription is all about transforming a recorded audio file into a verbatim transcript for companies across industrial domains. Global business owners want to focus their energies on their primary business and not on routine tasks of documenting, filing, mailing correspondences and other forms of administrative work. The demand for low cost administrative assistance by many start-up companies looking to save on overhead has evolved the business transcription service to expand and now include virtual secretarial duties (aka virtual assistants-VA) as they increasingly serve to fulfill other office administrative duties without the need for a physical presence in the employer’s home country.

With the availability of high-speed satellite links, it is now entirely possible to provide this service from the Philippines to a client-employer across the globe. The best part about a career in business transcription is that the training required to become a competent BT or VA takes only 3 weeks provided the student-applicant possess basic entry-level skills to gain admission into MTC’s General Transcription 1 (GT1) program. But even without the basic entry level skill, pre-requisite courses that include touch typing, computer operations, listening for accents, English proficiency and familiarity with transcription technology are now available.

Start your Medical Transcription Career NOW with MTC’s 16-week Program

Davao City’s transcription companies continue to enjoy increasing demand for medical transcriptions from global clients and transcription partners for data documentation and audio files conversion despite the US recession. In the last 4 months of 2008, MTC Academy in Davao City has received a succession of requests from its local partners for trained transcribers from its roster of graduates to fill the manpower requirements of transcription companies ramping up their production to meet increasing demand.

The more adept MTC students found themselves hired even before graduation from MT programs. An increasing number of graduates also found themselves hired within 1-2 weeks from graduation. Others have passed employer interviews and are simply completing their on-the-job training prior to be able to start work. This employment trend is projected to continue through 2009 as the demand for medical transcription increase and MTs begin to multi-task as a business or legal transcriptionists.

To meet this surge for human resource, MTC Academy at E. Quirino Avenue (082-222682) has given much effort to curriculum innovation and is set to launch program tracks that build transcription skills at the intermediate and advance levels for General, Legal and Medical transcriptions. The tracks are so designed to enable a beginner-student to primarily build basic skill sets such a keyboarding, computer operations, listening for accents, English proficiency and familiarity with transcription technology at the BASIC or pre-requisite level prior to gaining entry to the intermediate or advance levels.

Using the revolving curriculum for most of its programs allowing classes to start every month, MTC Academy has also restructured its MT program costs thus enhancing the value for money for all of its courses. This innovation has brought about a reduction in tuition fees ranging from 30-40% it medical transcription program.

8 week-Legal Transcription program now available at MTC Academy-Davao City

The demand for qualified individuals to take on the task of writing accurate and grammatically correct legal records has been growing. These individuals are known as legal transcriptionist/transcribers. Legal transcribers take some of the workload from lawyers and paralegals needing to keep accurate records but do not have the time to construct them. This profession is rising in importance as the need for accurate documentation and organized legal system increases. Data capture and transcriptions in the legal world is critical as it affects the speed by which justice is served.

Just like medical and business transcriptions, legal transcription uses the latest technology to convert legal dictations such as oral arguments, trial cases, court hearings and proceedings and legal interviews from voice to text thus creating official documents. The Legal Transcription program at MTC Academy is an eight (8) week program with a pre-requisite course of 1- 4 weeks depending on the student-applicants’ entry-level skill set. The program covers the essentials of legal terminology, types of legal documentation, professional ethics in legal transcription and common rules in legal documentation.

Using the revolving curriculum for most of its programs allowing classes to start every month, MTC Academy has also restructured its program costs thus enhancing the value for money for all of its courses with low down payment and easy monthly installments extended to all qualified applicants.

Supplying more than 50% of Davao City’s manpower requirement to its corporate partners, MTC Academy located at E.Quirino Avenue corner Gen Luna St. (082-2226822) continues to fill up vacancies for transcribers by providing FREE job placement assistance for its transcription graduates to companies here in Davao and as far as Manila and Cebu.

MTC Introduces New, More Affordable Transcription Programs in 2009

Many large business owners today have a global view of the outsourced transcription industry and generally do not pose objections to getting the job done outside of country borders as long as it gets done on time and work is consistently accurate.

The good news is, the increasing demand for transcribers is now not just limited to medical but also now include legal and general/business transcriptions. The demand for qualified transcribers has continued its upswing trend and Davao City operators have continued to experience to date some degree of shortage of qualified and trained transcribers in the areas of medical and legal transcriptions.

MTC Academy’s desire to provide more value has given rise to a curriculum innovation that now includes program tracks in building transcription skills at the intermediate and advanced levels for General, Legal and Medical transcriptions. The tracks are so designed to enable a beginner-student to primarily build basic skill sets such a keyboarding, computer operations, listening for accents, English proficiency and familiarity with transcription technology at the BASIC or pre-requisite level.

For flexibility, the MTC curriculum allows students (college graduates or undergraduates from any course background) possessing basic skills to get an exemption from some pre-requisite courses and move forward to enrolling in any of the 3 main transcription tracks General Transcriptions 1(GT1), Legal Transcriptions 1 (LT1) or Medical Transcriptions 1 (MT1). To further season the transcription-trainee, MTC encourages its students to complete the advance programs of GT2, LT2 or MT2.

Using the revolving curriculum for most of its programs allowing classes to start every month, MTC Academy has also restructured its program costs thus enhancing the value for money for all of its courses. This innovation has brought about a reduction in tuition fees ranging from 30-50% for all of its 2009 programs.

Supplying more than 50% of Davao City’s manpower requirement to its corporate partners, MTC Academy located at E.Quirino Avenue corner Gen Luna St. (082-2226822) continues to fill up vacancies for transcribers by providing job placement assistance for its transcription graduates to companies here in Davao and as far as Manila and Cebu.