Interview
Post-graduate students of "Modern Business Services" studies at Kazimierz Pulaski University of Technology and Humanities in Radom
Radom creates outsourcing resources – interview with Andrzej Kosztowniak, Mayor of Radom
Outsourcing&More: Radom has now appeared as a rising star for future BPO/SSC investment in Poland. What is Radom’s HR potential? Andrzej Kosztowniak: Our strength is our people. Demographically, Radom is one of the youngest cities in Poland with 16% of the population aged 20-29, the preferred demographic of the industry. Our citizens have knowledge of foreign languages. According to a HAYS research report, 96% declared the knowledge of English, 63% – German and 33% – Russian. Every year over 9,000 young and ambitious people graduate from 20 schools of higher education and many secondary schools. It’s worth noting that the students’ salary expectations in Radom are significantly lower than those in cities like Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw or Lodz, making Radom a prime target for the Outsourcing industry. O&M: How does the city support investors from the BPO/ SSC sector? A.K.: Invariably, we have undertaken many actions to make the city even more attractive to investors. Radom is the first city to have developed a “Modern Business Services” graduate studies program at University of Technology and Humanities in Radom, preparing graduates for Team Leader positions in the BPO/SSC sector. Investors can also take advantage of a number of financial incentives, including exemption from property and
transport tax and subsidies for land leases. Also, Radom’s Labour Office offers employers a number of grants, such as: social security tax refunds, paid internships or workstation grants, which can equal up to 1 mln PLN. We have a few well known BPO/SSC companies already operating in Radom, including Poland’s Ministry of Finance’s Data Processing Centre, Iron Mountain data processing, Europe Calling and SMG/KRC. All of them have expanded their businesses and increased headcounts in the last three years. O&M: A proper location and office space is required for shared service sector. What does Radom have to offer? A.K.: Radom is unique among the second tier cities in Poland because it can boast a Class A quality office space in Radom Office Park. Its first building, designed to BPO/SSC standards such as dual power and data supply, has just been finished. Radom has all of the criteria desired by the BPO/SSC industry: smart and affordable staff, great connection to Warsaw and the airport and affordable Class A office space. I invite you to Radom to expose you to the opportunities. Discover Radom – it is Poland’s Best Kept Secret. O&M: Thank you very much.
nr 5/2013 (wrzesień/październik)
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