DUBAI: The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai has been swamped with inquiries from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) asking how they can they be qualified for a competency assessment and obtain certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
This developed following a mass graduation on Jan. 25 of some 167 OFWs, mostly office workers, who received their Caregiving NC II certification from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) at the Philippine Consulate.
“Na-o-overwhelm kami,” Labor Attaché Felicitas Bay said. “Yung mga staff ko, they have been receiving non-stop calls asking about when the next assessment would be,” she added.
Bay said the TESDA awarding ceremony was “very positive.”
She said OFWs were also inquiring whether there will be TESDA competency assessment in bookkeeping, hair and make-up, baking and dressmaking.
“We are gathering the requests. Depende kasi sa applicants and assessors,” Bay said.
The awarding was described as “really momentous” considering it took the recipients months of hard work to get a piece of document that would open doors to new opportunities elsewhere around the world.
Steps
The recipients enrolled at accredited training institutions then underwent a 6-7 hour-long grueling assessment by TESDA representatives, in this case, held last November 16, 17 and 18.
Gabriel John Remando, president and founder of Filipino Institute, one of the companies providing the training, said they offer 24 Friday sessions running three hours each for Dh900, which also covers certification by the UAE Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) that also makes then internationally recognized as certified caregivers. The tuition also includes hand outs and a uniform.
Filipino Institute also provides free reviews for the TESDA assessment.
Jeanilyn Villasante of Philippine Caregiver and Administrators Training said they 20 of the 164 TESDA NC II recipients were their students of which, she said, most have relatives waiting for them in Canada or other countries
“May mga pending application na sila. Meron kaming student, auntie nya mismo may home care sa Canada,” Villasante said.
