The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) yesterday said it has completed the digitisation of its learning and recruitment processes in a bid to provide on-demand education for staff and better efficiency.

The carrier, in a statement, said its entire recruitment process is now conducted digitally. Job opportunities for all areas in the business are posted on BTC’s LinkedIn page, with the requirements and the job description. Interested applicants can respond directly to the job opportunity on LinkedIn and, once they meet the requirements, the process is initiated.

K. Darron Turnquest, BTC’s director of people, said: “We’re going digital. Daily, we receive countless resumes and calls from people interested in joining the BTC team. LinkedIn gives us a wider reach and allows us to communicate directly with prospective candidates in an efficient manner. By doing this we’ve reduced the number of hours the team has previously had to use to scour through and manually file resumes.

“Candidates can respond directly to jobs that suit their needs. When there are no available jobs, LinkedIn also allows a prospective applicant to turn on notifications that would advise them when there is an opportunity available that fits their skill set. This is a positive step in the right direction.”

LinkedIn also stores candidate information to find future recommended matches if the applicant is not successful initially. Candidates can also be pinpointed based on filters including “open to work” and “active talent”.

In addition to using LinkedIn as a recruitment tool, BTC said it has empowered all staff to take learning into their own hands using LinkedIn Learning.

Mr Turnquest explained: “As a telecoms business, constant transformation is essential to our survival. What we did yesterday has changed and we must continuously evolve to meet the needs of our customers.

“This is why we believe that our colleagues should always be learning, and this is why we’ve placed a tool like LinkedIn Learning in the hands of every full-time employee. This added benefit gives the individual the sense of responsibility for their own development. Managers can also use the tool to develop annual learning plans for their teams. The programme is fully digital, so employees have access 24/7.”

BTC staff have access to multiple content, and the opportunity to learn skills and gain certifications even outside their areas of employment. The most popular courses include effective communication, positive customer experience, emotional intelligence and project management.

“BTC wholeheartedly endorses LinkedIn Learning, and we are proud that our parent company, Liberty Latin America, provides this benefit for all colleagues. We know that there is tremendous value in on-the-job learning. However, by using LinkedIn Learning, colleagues have access to over 16,000 interactive online courses,” Mr Turnquest said.

BTC added that it can be located on LinkedIn as The Bahamas Telecommunications Company or BTC Business. The carrier added that earlier this year it eliminated all parental leave restrictions, and now enables all full-time colleagues to take advantage of parental leave from their first day of employment.

BTC has also introduced its new People Resource Centre, a fully digital platform that allows employees to take control of their performance management and vacation management. Staff are also able to access employment letters and pay slips using this digital format, which can be accessed through their mobile phones and using a laptop.