The State Budget will include up to $10 million to increase the number of call centres and back office processes services in Western Australia, to expand the local industry and create a pipeline of jobs.
Applications are being invited from companies operating call and BOP centres in Australia or internationally to help fast-track the establishment or expansion of these centres to build a more substantial WA business service industry and generate at least 200 new jobs at each facility.
Many call and BOP centres in Australia and overseas were forced to scale back or stop operations due to the impacts of COVID-19.
This has impacted business continuity for both Australian businesses and governments, and caused significant disruption to customer service.
The program will prioritise proposals that target outer-metropolitan, regional or high-unemployment areas and is only open to organisations that already run call and BOP centres.
Organisations will be able to use the grants to offset a variety of costs that help improve the viability and competitiveness of new centres, from establishing an operational base including fit-out and key equipment to hiring staff and offsetting training costs.
Models for operation could include a central operational facility through to a hybrid virtual operation with a WA service hub.
The fast-tracked program will be led by Invest and Trade WA, part of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.
Applications will be considered within four weeks of the October 15 closing date. More information is available at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-jobs-tourism-science-and-innovation/call-centre-and-back-office-processing-initiative
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"Committing $10 million to fast-track the set-up of new call centres and back office processes centres in WA will create a bigger local industry and lead to hundreds of new jobs.
"Our hard border and $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan has meant Western Australia has been successful in recovering jobs lost during the pandemic.
"However, there is still more work to do and we are focused on attracting investment in our State to create jobs for locals.
"It is vital that Western Australia continues to harness good ideas and promote private sector investment, and we have a strong commitment to helping industry and business succeed.
"The State Budget will focus on continuing our economic recovery, creating opportunities for local businesses and jobs for Western Australians."
