A CALL CENTRE INDUSTRY group will today hold a jobs fair for the 575 workers laid off at Talk Talk in Waterford, saying there are more than 150 vacancies open to them.

The event has been organised by the Contact Centre Management Association, which contacted its members for any available posts after the redundancies were announced last Wednesday. Talk Talk’s action sparked controversy as workers were given just 30 days notice of the shutdown. It later emerged that some staff had trained in the workers overseas who will now be taking over their jobs.

Dorothy O’Byrne, managing director of the CCMA, told TheJournal.ie that other call centres around Ireland wanted to “rally round” for Talk Talk staff.

The intention is to make sure the workers in Talk Talk are aware of specific vacancies in the sector, that they would have the skills and experience to apply for. We reached out to our member companies on Friday afternoon and we got a really strong response – so much so that there are over 150 vacancies.

She said that the majority of the available positions are not in Waterford, but there are a number in neighbouring counties. “We want to encourage Talk Talk staff, to let them know that there are opportunities and it is a vibrant, growing sector,” she said, adding that the positions available were both permanent and temporary.

Talk Talk management had said that growing use of online services was one reason behind a drop in demand for its call centre facility. However, Ms O’Byrne said the closure was not a symptom of a wider malaise in the industry. Companies attending the fair include Intellicom, O2, SouthWestern, UPC, Rigney Dolphin and VoxPro.

“Companies wanted to rally round and help in whatever way they could,” Ms O’Byrne said. “Hopefully a significant number of Talk Talk staff will be interested.”

The Department of Education and Skills has also confirmed that it will fund training for any Talk Talk staff recruited by CCMA members.

Listen: The moment Talk Talk staff were told of closure>

Read: Laid-off Talk Talk staff ‘had trained the people who took their jobs’>

Read: 575 jobs lost as Talk Talk to close Waterford call centre >