An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) group is offering language courses as a part of its “Skills for Jobs” program to help develop core competencies of aspiring OFWs.
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, Japanese and English language courses will be opened on March 5, according to a statement released on their website.
The Japanese courses will be taught by Japanese language teachers who also passed the N-5 language proficiency exam.
Meanwhile, Isabelita Robles, a recent retiree from the Philippine Senate as committee secretary and currently teaches public policy at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) for the President Ramon Magsaysay School of Government, will be handling the English classes.
President of the institute Susan Ople said that the program would be helpful for aspiring OFWs especially today when the demand for English teachers in China and Japan is high.
“Considering the increasing number of job opportunities in Japan and China for English teachers and caregivers as well as other skilled workers, we believe that mastering a second or third language is a wise investment,” Ople said.
Evening and weekend classes will also be offered to help working professionals and students who want to join the program. Moreover, payment in installments will be accepted.
“Our desire to go into language training ties in perfectly with our aspiration towards safe migration and decent work. The best protection for an aspiring OFW is the skills that he or she possesses and chief among such skills is the ability to communicate as well as to comprehend,” Ople added.
The Center will also offer free career advice to its graduates oto ensure that they would not be victims of illegal recruiters and human traffickers.
The Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute is a non-profit organization that handles labor and migration concerns and develops programs to empower the OFWs and their families.
