Midland pursues call centre

Tuesday, 7 November, 2000 - 21:00

MIDLAND wants a slice of the call centre action.

A group, consisting the Swan City Council, Midland Redevelopment Authority, Ellenbrook Property Developers, Swan Chamber of Commerce, local business support agencies and business incubators, Midland TAFE and a local employment program with a call centre focus, has been formed to promote Midland as a location for call centres.

The group recently brought one of Australia’s leading call centre authorities to Midland for a workshop.

It is also well advanced in the development of a marketing plan and associated promotional material to help promote Midland’s many attributes such as:

* A streamlined planning process from the MRA;

* Substantial land availability;

* A population catchment sufficient to support 2,500 customer contact centre seats;

* High volume commuter rail service, interlinking bus network and good road infrastructure;

* A multiculturally diverse labour pool; and

* A variety of commercial buildings available for long-term rent or purchase.

Because there are few call centres in the area, staff turnover is expected to be low.

The Midland TAFE has offered to become a training provider to any call centres set up in the area. It has the ability to provide 400 trained staff within six months.

Ellenbrook is also one of the few suburbs in Australia to be fully fibre-optic cabled, which allows it to be used as an overflow centre.