Pierce, health net team to provide jobs for local call center.

Earlier this month, 25 students graduated from an accelerated call center training program offered at Pierce College's Economic and Workforce Development Department, and at least 20 of them will be taking jobs with Woodland Hills-based Health Net.

Judith Trester, director of the department, said that the training is a way for people with relatively little education to secure good jobs with advancement opportunities.

"They start out at $13.75 per hour, if they're bilingual they get more, and they get regular raises throughout," Trester said. "Once they've been there for a year and proven themselves they can transfer to any department in Health Net."

Trester said the students can also take advantage of the company's tuition reimbursement policies to further their education.

Trester first met with Health Net two years ago in an effort to train local students for local jobs. She was told by a Health Net vice president that call centers always had plenty of open spots because of high turnover rates, and the company funded a training program that graduated about 15 people in 2004.

"None of these people are working," said Trester. "Let's say that even if a person was working for minimum wage, if they can get a job that pays $13.75 plus benefits, that's very good."

Earlier this year, Trester was contacted again by The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Youth Employment about starting another training program, and Trester decided that the success of the first call center class could be replicated.

The Archdiocese provided funding for the most recent class, and Trester worked with local Worksource Centers to find applicants, which were then approved by Health Net. There was room for 30 students in the class, but on the first day, Trester arrived to see 47 students waiting for her.

After reducing the size of the class (some prospective students had previous experience and were able to start fight away,) 25 students completed 75 hours of training in three weeks learning the basics of customer service and call center operations.

"It actually has worked out very well," said John O'Brien, Call Center Director for Health Net. "The people that we have from the first program are still working, and performing very well."

O'Brien said that some of the program's graduates have in fact moved on to other departments within in the company.

Health Net employs about 250 call center operators in Woodland Hills, and despite reports from companies like Washington Mutual that are laying off local call center employees, Health Net says they plan to keep their employees here.

"At this time we're committed to having local call centers," said Laura Perry, Health Net's director of corporate communications. "There are several advantages, we have people answering questions who are familiar with the area. If a caller looking for a doctor says they live in Encino, they know where Encino is."