Monday, September 10, 2007
Echaves: The Pinoy WOW
By Lelani P. Echaves
Thinking Aloud
IF TOP honcho August “Boboy” Syjuco of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) meets his time-lines, every Filipino who becomes an OFW will be a “Pinoy Wow” (Worker of the World).
That means a Filipino equipped to meet communication and interaction expectations in a globalizing workplace, whether here or abroad. After all, 1.22 million Filipinos became OFWs in 2006, per POEA, marking an increase of 1.4 percent over 1.20 million for 2005.
Of these 1.22 million, 71 percent were land-based workers while 29 percent were seafarers. The top 10 occupations were as (1) household and related workers, (1) factory and related workers, (3) construction, (4) medical related, (5) hotel and restaurant related, (6) caregivers and caretakers, (7) building caretakers and related workers, (8) engineering and related workers, (9) dressmakers, tailors and related workers, and (10) overseas performing artists.
POEA facilitated the daily deployment of 3,000 Filipino workers for overseas jobs, whether new hires or rehires. Off they went to 197 countries in the world, the top 10 countries of destination being (1) Saudi Arabia, (2) United Arab Emirates, (3) Hong Kong, (4) Kuwait, (5) Qatar, (6) Taiwan, (7) Singapore, (8) Italy, (9) United Kingdom, and (10) South Korea. Except for Hong Kong and Taiwan, deployment in all the countries went up by 16.2 percent in 2006.
The Tesda move has the support of foreign embassies and their ambassadors, particularly from the top 10 countries of OFW destination. They provide the language trainers.
Thus, even before the July 31 official launching of Tesda’s Language Skills Institute (LSI) in Taguig City, classes were already going on. Voices of students penetrated the walls as they enunciated the vowels and consonants of various languages: Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, English and Spanish. Other languages in the offing are Arabic, Taiwanese, Singaporean, Italian, Russian, French and German.
Language skills trainings will be in three modes: face-to-face, online and blended. Face-to-face requires regular meetings between the trainer and the customer. Online is conducted through an Internet-based, interactive software. Blended is a combination of the first two; thus theoretical learning is via online, after which customers report to the LSI for hands-on experience.
While the goal is to set up 37 LSIs nationwide, top priority after Taguig will be in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Especially selected and tested participants from the geographic regions underwent a rigid one-month trainers training in Taguig, ready for fielding.
Aligned with the 10-point agenda of President Arroyo, Tesda’s LSIs have one burning goal: to equip OFWs and others interested with survival language skills and cultural understanding and appreciation of their country of destination/employment. With enviable self-confidence to speak, think, operate and succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace, nothing will overwhelm the Pinoy Wow.
(lelani.echaves@gmail.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (September 10, 2007 issue)
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