The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has announced that more than 73,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their dependents have enrolled in their training programs that aim to provide Filipinos new job opportunities and livelihood.
Also Read: TESDA Aims to Prepare OFWs to become Trainers and Assessors
According to TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña, out of this number, some 71,251 individuals have enrolled through TESDA’s online courses while the rest have taken actual scholarship programs this year.
73,000 OFWs and their Dependents Join TESDA Training Program this Year
Because of this development, Lapeña expressed his optimism that these 73,000 OFWs have taken the necessary step to gain future employment as they empower themselves to learn new skills, reported GMA News Online.
He noted that based on a survey conducted by the authority, those who trained under TESDA’s programs have an 85-percent employability rate.
He also noted that among the most in-demand jobs now are in the fields of agriculture, construction, health and wellness, Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM), and marketing.
That said, Secretary Lapeña stressed that these have been the fields that they are focusing on right now as these would most likely give more employment opportunities to Filipinos, especially during this time.
According to TESDA, another way for them to reach out to more OFWs is through the “TESDA Abot Lahat ang OFWs”, launched back in June.
Lapeña explained that the program provides easy access to TESDA training programs, by providing the OFWs and their dependents with a link on the TESDA mobile app. Through this link, the OFWs and their dependents can easily fill out the registration form to join the training program they wish to pursue.
ALSO READ: How OFWs Can Enrol in TESDA’s Free Online Training Program
“The regional and provincial offices have also set up their respective OFW desk,” he said, noting that there are also Malasakit Help Desks at the country’s international airports, which will assist the OFWs and inform them of TESDA’s programs,” he added.
Lapeña also shared that the authority has been closely coordinating with the OFW community.
“Because of this, we now have ongoing training on scaffolding work inspection, with a former OFW as a trainer,” he said.