TESDA assists over 3K OFWs

A TESDA OFW Desk at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) (PNA Photo)

MANILA — More than 3,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been assisted by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the first half of 2018.

Data sent to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday showed that more than half (1,938) of the total 3,279 assisted OFWs from January to June 2018 were provided with assistance via TESDA’s One Stop Service Centers for OFWs located at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Competency assessment, certificate verification, renewal or replacement of national certificates, assistance for training programs, were among the services availed of at TESDA’s One Stop Service Centers.

A total of 887 OFWs were assisted through the TESDA OFW Desks located at the country’s international airports.

Last May, TESDA mounted a TESDA OFW Desk at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals 1 and 3, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Clark International Airport, and Davao International Airport.

The desk aims to better inform the OFWs of the assistance they can get from TESDA. They can inquire about the training programs they could avail of, inquire about TESDA-accredited schools’ addresses, among others. The OFWs can also get a referral for training or assessment from this desk.

Data also showed that the National Capital Region and Region 7 had active involvement in the TESDA OFW Desk.

Meanwhile, from January to April, 251 OFWs graduated through TESDA’s Special Training for Employment Program (STEP), Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP), Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB), and Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA).

The OFWs are among TESDA’s priorities in terms of providing free scholarship and training.

Earlier this year, TESDA Secretary Guiling Mamondiong also instructed all the agency’s district, provincial, and regional directors to prioritize the repatriated OFWs in providing free technical vocational (tech-voc) courses.

Mamondiong believes that providing the OFWs with retraining and skills upgrade would be beneficial for them, whether they opt to stay in the Philippines or go back abroad.

“Enhancing their skills would help them land better job opportunities when they go abroad. Providing them with skills will also be beneficial for them, whether they want to find a job here or put up a business,” he said.