MANILA – Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including those who have been out of work for years, and their families can enroll in free skills training and receive job referrals under a reintegration program of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
The OWWA Kasanayan at Kabuhayan Center (OKKC) in Intramuros, Manila provides free training and employment opportunities to help returning workers and members of their families find better jobs or even start their own businesses.
“We at OWWA believe that hindi lamang ang financial assistance ang sagot sa tanong na ‘yan, kung hindi, isang programa na magbibigay sa kanila ng mas pangmatagalang asset na magagamit nila sa pagbalik nila (financial assistance is not the only answer to that question, but a program that will provide them with a more long-term asset that they can use upon their return),” OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said in a radio interview Tuesday.
“‘Yan ay upskilling, ang pagkakaroon ng additional skills para makahanap sila ng mas magandang trabaho o kaya naman po ay mabigyan sila ng puhunan sa skills para makasimula ng negosyo sa pagbalik nila sa Pilipinas (That is upskilling, acquiring additional skills so they can find better jobs or be given capital for skills to start a business when they return to the Philippines),” she added.
Set up in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the OKKC offers courses in caregiving, Japanese language, barista skills, bartending, housekeeping, bookkeeping and virtual assistance.
It is also preparing to introduce training in solar energy installation and electric vehicle repair.
In partnerships with video streaming platform TikTok and tech company Nextplay, the center also provides digital livelihood training, including live selling and online business development.
Caunan said OKKC’s distinguishing feature is its direct link to prospective employers, with partnerships involving the DMW, the Department of Labor and Employment, Public Employment Service Offices, and private companies.
She cited the barista training program, where coffee shop operator Juice Coffee met trainees on their first day and informed them that they could apply for jobs after graduation.
Some former domestic workers enrolled in the program are attending classes even on Saturdays to complete their TESDA National Certificate II requirements.
For those who want to work overseas again, OWWA also coordinates with the DMW’s government-to-government hiring program and with licensed Philippine recruitment agencies.
Caunan said the agency wants to help former domestic workers qualify for other occupations, particularly caregiving, which offers better employment opportunities in the Philippines and abroad.
Trainees also receive an allowance from OWWA on top of the assistance provided by TESDA to help breadwinners meet their families’ needs while attending training, Caunan said.
Meanwhile, seafarers waiting for their next contracts or those who have lost their jobs may also enroll through OWWA’s Seafarers Upgrading Program which provides a PHP7,500 training grant for those who want to refresh their skills or undergo additional training while waiting for deployment.
The agency is likewise extending training and assessment services through its global centers in Hong Kong, Taipei and Malaysia, with plans to include Macau, Muscat in Oman, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Interested OFWs and their families may inquire at OWWA’s central or regional offices, email owwacares@owwa.gov.ph, or check the agency’s Facebook page for registration announcements and requirements.
They may also call the OWWA hotline at 1348. (PNA)
