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International BPO Scholarships & Aid Program/bci-partnerships/ibsa-program

The IBSA Program – Fundamental Concept

The BCI International BPO Scholarships and Aid Program (IBSA) was the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Now called the Emerging Markets Subsidy (EMS) program, it reflected BCI’s ceaseless endeavors aimed at making BCI’s International Certifications affordable and accessible for the underprivileged communities of aspiring professionals in developing nations across the world. The aim is to empower the talented, meritorious and deserving youth with aspirations to excel in BPO careers who with the opportunities they seek to enter their professional lives in the BPO industry.

The IBSA Program offers subsidy on BCI certification fee ranging from 50% to 100% to qualifying individuals in select countries to empower them to earn BCI certifications and become employable for a wide variety of industries at the entry level. The subsidy is offered to business organizations, multilateral aid bodies, and governments who have partnered BCI with the objective to develop their BPO talent and workforce on BCI standards using BCI certifications.

The IBSA/ EMS subsidy works exactly like a fee discount for beneficiaries. It is awarded to individuals, organizations and educational institutions who fulfil the need-case terms and conditions as defined by the IBSA/ EMS Action Committee (IAC). Students, professionals, educational institutions and training companies can apply for IBSA/ EMS subsidy to partially cover the tuition-fee costs of BCI certifications.

IBSA/ EMS is an open assistance program, and not a fund with a corpus of money. Also, IBSA/ EMS assists applicants only through subsidies paid directly to the educational/training institutions offering the BCI Certification program to be offered to applicants/prospective beneficiaries.

IBSA

Download IBMS Program 2019 Informa

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More About IBSA

The BCI Scholarship Awards Program is the latest addition to BCI’s international Industry Development Program Initiatives. Approved in May 2008 by the Outsourcing Industry Development Committee (OIDC) of the BCI, which has been instrumental in helping fledgling BPO economies grow through several subsidy and assistance initiatives and programs.

The Origin, Rationale and Objectives of the IBSA Program

In a prominent accomplishment globally, the Outsourcing Industry Development Committee (OIDC) of BCI has, till date, sanctioned assistance and subsidies worth more than $8.8 million since 2008, to an extensive portfolio of government and non-government stakeholders in emerging markets.

The IBSA is now integrated with the Emerging Markets Subsidy (EMS) program of OICD to enlarge the contributions of BCI in the BPO industry development across more than 24 countries. Key aims include:

  1. Empowering governments of emerging BPO nations in Africa and Asia to initiate or accelerate through these scholarships, training and certification activities that are required to develop their talent pools for BPO and allied industries.

  2. Inspiring BPO organizations to upgrade the skills and knowledge of their workforce quality through training and hiring at par with international standards.

  3. Enabling Universities in developing and underdeveloped nations train and certify meritorious yet underprivileged students though these scholarships, ensuring that these students can become employable in BPO and allied industries.

  4. Helping corporations and their stakeholders associated with the worldwide Impact Sourcing Movement acquire BCI credentials and services at zero costs.

NOTE THAT THIS INFORMATION MAY CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW YOUR ORGANIZATION CAN APPLY FOR THE BCI INTERNATIONAL BPO SCHOLARSHIPS & AID PROGRAM, PLEASE WRITE TO US AT INFO@BCI.ORG WITH IBSA IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL.

Items Covered under the IBSA-2019 Program

Under the IBSA-2019 program, five items have been included for coverage, which are:

  • Item B1: All Level -0 BCI Professional Certifications (Human Competence Certifications) approved for career opportunities in entry-level positions in BPO companies – CFPA™, CBSA™, CTSA™, CCIP™. The BCI website www.bci.org details all the information about each of these certification programs. The Scholarships are awarded based on the Certification System Unit (CSU) market price. Each CSU comprises of training material and certification examination voucher. Great discounts are offered by the scholarships for the beneficiaries.
  • Item B2: All Level-1 BCI Professional Certifications (Human Competence Certifications) approved for career opportunities in specialist level positions in BPO companies – CFPS™, CBSS™, CTSS™, CCIS™. The BCI website www.bci.org details all the information about each of these certification programs. The Scholarships are awarded based on the Certification System Unit (CSU) market price. Each CSU comprises of training material and certification examination voucher. Great discounts are offered by the scholarships for the beneficiaries.
  • Item B3: BCI Professional Certifications (Human Competence Certifications) approved for career opportunities in frontline leaders and team lead specialists positions in BPO companies – the CBTS™. The BCI website www.bci.org details all the information about each of these certification programs. The Scholarships are awarded based on the Certification System Unit (CSU) market price. Each CBTS™ CSU comprises of training material and certification examination voucher. Great discounts are offered by the scholarships for the beneficiaries.
  • Item B4: BCI Professional Certifications (Human Competence Certifications) approved for career opportunities in Master Trainers positions in BPO companies –CBMT™. The BCI website www.bci.org details all the information about each of these certification programs. The Scholarships are awarded based on the Certification System Unit (CSU) market price. Each CBMT™ CSU comprises of training material and certification examination voucher. Great discounts are offered by the scholarships for the beneficiaries.
  • Item B5: BCI Professional Certifications (Human Competence Certifications) approved for career opportunities in Manager positions in BPO companies – CBOM™. The BCI website www.bci.org details all the information about each of these certification programs. The Scholarships are awarded based on the Certification System Unit (CSU) market price. Each CSU comprises of training material and certification examination voucher. Great discounts are offered by the scholarships for the beneficiaries.

Categories of Beneficiaries

For the IBSA 2019, the following 15 categories of beneficiaries have been recognized eligible for enrollment. These are similar to the categories defined by OICD for the EMS program.

  • CAT-A1

    Consortia/ Project organizations/ special purpose vehicles funded by multilateral aid bodies and charitable organizations

  • CAT-A2

    Consortia/ Project organizations/ special purpose vehicles funded by elected national governments or elected provincial governments in nations.

  • CAT-A3

    Not-for-profit organizations engaged in employability development and social upliftment through education and training

  • CAT-B1

    Governments and their Ministries/ departments of ICT/ BPO/ Outsourcing/ IT

  • CAT-B2

    Governments and their Ministries/ departments of Education/ Higher Education

  • CAT-B3

    Governments and their Ministries/ departments of HRD/ Labor

  • CAT-C1

    Official ICT Boards/ Outsourcing Industry Associations/ Industry Chambers of nations

  • CAT-C2

    Autonomous but government-recognized associations of outsourcing/ contact center/ IT professionals

  • CAT-D1

    Government/ public Universities, colleges and institutions

  • CAT-D2

    Private Universities/ institutions/ colleges duly recognized by their respective governments

  • CAT-E

    Quality Management Associations duly approved by their respective governments

  • CAT-F1

    Government-owned Contact Centers/ BPO Services Providers/ Shared Services Providers or organizations in the telecom, banking, insurance, power, public utility services having captive call-centers/ service-provider centers

  • CAT-F2

    Private Contact Centers/ BPO Services Providers/ Shared Services Providers duly recognized and registered in their respective countries

  • CAT-F3

    Impact Sourcing community including Contact Centers/ BPO Services Providers/ Shared Services Providers duly integrated on a credible global Impact Sourcing platform

  • CAT-G1

    Private Training companies duly recognized and registered in their respective countries.

Geographies Covered under the IBSA 2019 Program

OIIDC has historically described developing markets based on the competencies and maturity of nations in BPO and outsourcing space. Since the BPO industry of a developed nation like Kuwait is in infancy, it is classified as an emerging nation. Similarly, in developed nations including Romania, there are certain pockets which are categorized under-developed though they hold high potential. Both IBSA and EMS programs cover such geographies defining them Special Territories. The following talks about the the countries, special territories and regions covered under the EMS 2019 and the IBSA-14 program.

G1 Regions:

SADC (South African Development Council); GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council); MENA (Middle East & North Africa

G2 Countries:

Argentina, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Caribbean Nations, Chile, Columbia, Congo, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Rwanda, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia.

G3 Special Territories:States

States and provinces with underdeveloped BPO industries in Brazil, China, India, Ireland, Philippines, Romania, Russia and Hungary

G4

Other worthy nations/ geographies not currently included: The OIDC has kept the provision open for inclusion of other nations and regions under the EMS program after an objective representation is made to BCI by authorized representatives of bodies/ nations/ regions etc., desiring benefits as offered to G1/ G2/ or G3.

IBSA Award

THE BPO CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE, UNITED STATES
IBSA AWARD PRIVILEGES PERMITTED FOR AN AWARDEE ENTITY (EXCLUDING TRAINING)

IBSA Award Categories

THE BPO CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE, UNITED STATES
IBSA AWARD PRIVILEGES PERMITTED FOR AN AWARDEE ENTITY (EXCLUDING TRAINING)

PLATINUM PRIVILEGES DIAMOND PRIVILEGES GOLD PRIVILEGES SILVER PRIVILEGES

Includes COMPLETE cost of BCI Certification with printed preparation & credential kits.

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR CFPA™/ CBSA™/ CTSA™/ CCIP™/ CFPS™/ CBSS™/ CTSS™/ CCIS™/ CBMT™

Includes COMPLETE cost of a BCI Certification with digital/ soft preparation & credential kits.

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR / CFPA™/ CBSA™/ CTSA™/ CCIP™ / CFPS™/ CBSS™/ CTSS™/ CCIS™/ CBTS™/ CBMT™/ CBOM™

Includes PARTIAL costs of a BCI Certification with digital/ soft preparation & credential kits.

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR CFPA™/ CBSA™/ CTSA™/ CCIP™/ CFPS™/ CBSS™/ CTSS™/ CCIS™/ CBTS™/ CBMT™/ CBOM™

Includes PARTIAL costs of a BCI Certification with digital/ soft preparation & credential kits.

APPLICABLE ONLY FOR CFPA™/ CBSA™/ CTSA™/ CCIP™/ CFPS™/ CBSS™/ CTSS™/ CCIS™/ CBTS™/ CBMT™/ CBOM™

*NONE OF THE IBSA AWARDS OFFERS WAIVERS OR DISCOUNTS OR REFUNDS FOR TRAINING. IBSA NEVER GIVES CASH GRANTS OR CASH ASSISTANTSHIPS TO ANY INDIVIDUAL OR ANY ORGANIZATION. ALL IBSA PRIVILEGES ARE IN THE FORM OF WAIVERS OR DISCOUNTS ON STANDARD FEE/ PRICES APPLICABLE. AWARDEE INSTITUTIONS GET THE IBSA INVOICES MENTIONING THE TOTAL VALUE OF SCHOLARSHIPS GRANTED TOTHE INSTITUTION

How does an IBSA Award Benefit an Institution?

THE BPO CERTIFICATION INSTITUTE, UNITED STATES
IBSA 2019 - AWARD IMPACT MATRIX

The IBSA lessens the certification cost incurred by an organization by almost a fairly huge margin – almost in the range of 90%-100%. There is an invariable impact on the monetary and financial aspect of an IBSA eligible organization (refer to the IBSA 2019 Program document for more information about the eligibility and categories). An IBSA organization gets the authority to take the decision, of who can get the benefits of the discounts/waivers.

The BCI considers these individuals and raises an invoice on the basis of the nominations submitted by IBSA. In the further course of action, the awardee organization receives a document detailing about the finer specifics of the IBSA award, and other relevant details like attendant financial implications and the pre-award documentation to be furnished by the awardee organization.

ITEM
CODE

ITEMS UNDER IBSA

CAT-A1 CAT-A2 CAT-A3 CAT-B1 CAT-B2 CAT-B3 CAT-C1 CAT-C2 CAT-D1 CAT-D2 CAT-E CAT-F1 CAT-F2 CAT-G1
IB01 Registration Fee 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
IB02 Printed training kits 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 60% 50% 60% 60% 50%
IB03 Digital/softtraining kits 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 90% 80% 70% 80% 80% 80%
IB04 Certification examvoucher 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 90% 90% 90% 90%
IB05 Re-examvoucher 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
IB06 Credential pack 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 90% 90% 90% 90%
IB07 Re-certification voucher 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
IB08 Alumni fee 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
IB08 Shipping (if required) 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
IB010 Duplicate Items Issue 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 60% 50% 60% 60% 50%

IBSA AWARD POLICY MATRIX

CATEGORIES OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES
IBSA AWARD POLICY MATRIX

If an organization is IBSA Certified, then it receives elephantine amount of reductions as far as the certification costs are concerned. Many have reported to experience reductions of up to 90%-100%. The IBSA Program is carried out under the supervision of CredForce Group, United States, which is an exclusive business service provider to BCI. To gain further insights in regards to the IBSA Program, please consult the 2019 Program document. In case an organization qualifies to be awarded, it receives a notification briefing about the essence of the award that also comprise of the financial implications along with the pre-award documentation to be submitted by the awardee enterprise.

CATEGORIES PLATINUM PRIVILEGES RUBY PRIVILEGES GOLD PRIVILEGES SILVER PRIVILEGES
A1/ A2/ A3/ B1/ B2/ B3/ C1/ C2/ D1/ D2/ E/ F/ G "Should have given training to at least 2000 people in ICT/BPO space in the preceding calendar year OR Should have enrolled at least 1500 individuals for BCI accreditation on BCI WorkForceONE or any other BCI platform till the date of applying for IBSA OR Have confirmed plans of certifying and training at least 2000 individuals in the year of applying for IBSA" "Must have trained a minimum number of 1500 individuals in ICT/BPO areas in the preceding calendar year OR Should have registered at least 1000 individuals for BCI accreditations on BCI WorkForceONE or other BCI platforms till the date of registering for IBSA OR Have accepted plans of certifying and training minimum 1500 individuals in the year of applying for IBSA" "Should have trained at least 1000 individuals in BPO/ ICT areas in the preceding calendar year OR Should have registered at least 1000 individuals for BCI certifications on BCI WorkForceONE or on any other BCI platform till the date of applying for IBSA OR Have confirmed plans of training and certifying at least 1000 individuals in the year of applying for IBSA" "Should have equipped at least 500 individuals in BPO/ ICT areas in the preceding calendar year OR Should have enrolled at least 500 individuals for BCI accreditations on BCI WorkForceONE or on any other BCI platform till the date of applying for IBSA OR Have confirmed plans of training and certifying at least 1000 individuals in the year of applying for IBSA"

IBSA Award Application

An IBSA Award nearly diminishes the certification cost for an organization by 90%-100%. The IBSA Program is administered internationally by the CredForce America, Inc., the exclusive business service providers to BCI. An IBSA award winning organization receives the document containing details of the awards, including attendant financial implications, and the pre-award documentation to be furnished.

To know more about the IBSA Program, kindly refer to IBSA 2019 Program document.

IBSA Award Application