GRADUATION. Scholars who completed the Global Virtual Assistant Training under the government’s “Tulong Trabaho” (job assistance) Scholarship Program receive their certificates in Negros Oriental in this undated photo. A total of 390 scholars from different institutions in Negros Oriental and Siquijor completed the program implemented through the Technical Educational and Skills Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry and WrkPod. (Photo courtesy of WrkPod)
DUMAGUETE CITY – A total of 390 scholars in Negros Oriental completed the Global Virtual Assistant Training Program under the government’s Tulong Trabaho (job assistance) Scholarship Program (TTSP).
The scholars included 100 from Silliman University, 75 from Foundation University, 40 from the People Skills Management Institute, 100 from the Philippine Call Center Institute, and 75 from the Fritz-Gibbon Academy of Skills and Trades Inc..
WrkPod co-founder and chief executive officer Kody Thompson said during a press conference Friday that their firm is the only institution in Negros Oriental certified under the Enterprise-Based Education and Training (EBET) framework of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
“We had 390 graduates graduating from the program with the goal of upskilling Filipinos to get jobs through WrkPod and also in the virtual assistance space,” Thompson said.
In December 2025, the Dumaguete City-based Australian company, TESDA, and the Department of Trade and Industry signed a memorandum of agreement for the first-ever Contact Center Services Training National Certificate II under the TTSP through the EBET.
The program aims to tackle the difficulties encountered by near-hires who struggle to secure employment due to insufficient skill sets or other reasons.
The first EBET course here initially had 400 slots for an 18-day program which was carried out in 16 batches. Fifty scholars from nearby Siquijor province were also accommodated.
The program utilized a unique training to trabaho (work) model where scholars underwent a rigorous 144-hour curriculum that combined fundamental classroom instruction from academic partners with WrkPod’s proprietary, hands-on coaching and immersion.
The “trade secret” methodology ensures that graduates are not just certified, but work-ready from Day 1, meeting global industry standards in communication, organization and customer service.
Thompson said WrkPod will do its best to hire as many graduates as possible, depending on their skills and the requirements of the company’s clients.
WrkPod connects virtual assistants here to clients from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
It currently has 1,300 virtual assistants and has workspaces/offices in this capital city, Bacolod City, Cebu City and Iloilo City. (PNA)
