Kaplan Professional and New Mexico Highlands University Center at Rio Rancho Offer Free Training Course for Aspiring Customer Service Representatives

Rio Rancho, NM (September 23, 1999) -- New Mexico Highlands University Center at Rio Rancho and Kaplan Professional, a leading provider of recruitment, assessment, training and certification services, are holding a free, three-week training course starting Monday, October 18th for individuals interested in becoming customer service representatives. Each course graduate will receive a certificate and assistance getting a job at one of the 27 call centers in the greater Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area. The course, open to residents of Sandoval County, is sponsored by the New Mexico Department of Labor.

The three-week course provides instruction in telephone skills, communication skills, critical thinking, team-building and business etiquette.

Customer service representatives take in-bound calls and can earn a salary of $7 to $11.50 per hour, plus benefits. The jobs offer flexible hours and the promise of rapid career growth in which employees can quickly be promoted to management positions. The 27 call centers in the Albuquerque/Rio Rancho area include Sprint PCS, JC Penney, Gateway, Southwest Airlines and John Hancock Signature Services. The centers employ over 12,000 people and have an average of more than 250 job openings a month.

"There is a misconception that these are dead-end jobs in which youíll be disturbing people at home during dinner to sell them a product," said Dr. Bob Freeman, managing director of Kaplan Professional Call Center Services. "In reality, customer service representatives are fielding in-bound calls, and are on a career path that can lead them to jobs with greater responsibility and higher salaries."

To find out if you qualify for the free course, call Dee Yaeger at the New Mexico Department of Labor, 505-891-1911. Eligible candidates must live in Sandoval County and take the Basic Occupational Literacy Test (BOLT), administered by the Department of Labor on September 28th or October 14th.

Kaplan Professional includes Perfect Access/CRN, which delivers customized software education and consultation for law firms and businesses; Kaplan Professional Call Center Services, a provider of assessment, recruitment, and training for the call center industry; and Dearborn, a leading supplier of pre-licensing training and continuing education for securities, insurance and real estate professionals.

Press Contact: pubrel@kaplan.com, (212) 492-5965

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