English distance training firm to hire more Filipinos

By Erwin Lemuel Oliva, INQ7.net

A Philippine-based firm providing English distance training targeted at international companies in Europe is set to hire more Filipinos this year, the company said.

Founded in 2003 by former Finance Secretary Robert de Ocampo, ITI Consulting said it plans to hire 150 more trainers in the Philippines.

"ITI Consulting was established in the Philippines due to its large, highly educated, English-speaking workforce. And unlike most international companies in the Philippines, ITI Consulting manages a network of English trainers in the US from Manila and not the other way around," the company said.

Training is delivered through telephone and video conference by trainers based in the Philippines and the US.

Having more than 90 percent of its people speaking and understanding English, the company said it has established operations here because of the large pool of potential trainers.

Since English is now considered the world's business language, ITI Consulting has decided to focus on English communication training to better equip clients in their careers.

It noted that the English training market is worth 1 billion dollars and the need for a one-on-one 'teacher based' English training is booming in Europe, Asia, and South America.

Distance training by telephone and the Internet is well developed in Asia, especially in South Korea, but is relatively new in Europe, the company said.

ITI has more than 1,000 corporate clients in Europe, 25,000 students and 200 highly skilled and educated trainers.

With 70 employees, ITI Consulting in the Philippines is now the headquarters for worldwide teacher operations, managing the US operations, with Geneva as headquarters for sales operations.