The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have introduced a new initiative to recognize and certify the skills of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have not undergone formal training. The program, highlighted in a recent interview with Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac, aims to provide OFWs with official certification for skills they have acquired on the job.
This certification process will allow workers, such as cooks or welders, who have honed their skills abroad but lack formal training, to be assessed and recognized by TESDA. Cacdac emphasized that these certifications would help OFWs become more competitive in the job market, both internationally and upon their return to the Philippines.
Additionally, the partnership includes free retraining programs for OFWs returning from conflict zones, enabling them to acquire new skills or enhance existing ones. The initiative builds on TESDA’s previous efforts, including the OFW Reintegration through Skills and Entrepreneurship (OFW-RISE) program, which supported OFWs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new certification and retraining programs aim to bolster the reintegration of returning OFWs, providing them with better opportunities for employment and livelihood in the Philippines.