September 27, 2017

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will coordinate with foreign embassies in the country to help improve the language proficiency and culture training of Filipinos who wish to work abroad.

TESDA Director General, Secretary Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong said that the language proficiency and culture training program of the agency would help the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) communicate easily and learn about the culture of the country they have chosen.

A recent study has shown that training on language and culture will boost the appreciation and understanding of OFWs in their workplace abroad.

“Language proficiency at the workplace enhances quality service delivery which results in increased productivity and effectiveness. Workplace-based language proficiency and knowledge of the culture of a particular country tend to promote better human relations and provides added security overseas," said Mamondiong in a letter addressed to the foreign embassies.

These foreign embassies are Spanish Embassy, People’s Republic of China Embassy, Embassy of United Kingdom, Vietnamese Embassy, Malaysian Embassy, Embassy of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Japanese Embassy, Korean Embassy, Italian Embassy, French Embassy, Russian Federation Embassy and German Embassy.

“In this regard, TESDA would like to recommend that our Filipino Workers undergo workplace-based language training and culture prior to deployment. This specialized training has significant contribution in increasing the Filipino workers’ productivity, efficiency and quality of service delivery," Mamondiong added.

Aside from this, TESDA has coordinated with Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III for the same program.

“The increasing mobility of our Filipino workers has enabled them to be subject to exploitation and abuse due to the lack of awareness and confidence on the language of the country. Thus, the knowledge of workplace-based language and culture will be useful tool to thrive in a country," said Mamondiong in a letter sent to Bello.