MANILA, Philippines – Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is working on developing five additional foreign language courses to give Filipino workers a competitive edge as they seek job opportunities abroad.
These free courses will cover Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Italian and French in addition to the existing courses offered by the National Language Skills Center, according to TESDA Deputy Director General for Operations Aniceto Bertiz III.
“As we continue to respond to the demands of our workers, we shall soon be offering various language courses in partnership with foreign embassies and other interested international organizations,” TESDA Officer-in-Charge Deputy Director General Rosanna Urdaneta said.
Along with the program, TESDA will also be teaching the foreign country’s culture to enrollees for familiarization, which will help them adapt to their new environment more easily.
Mandarin is needed in handling BPOs or call handlers catering to Chinese or ASEAN customers; Italian and French languages will be helpful for those applying to work in cruise ships, according to Bertiz.
During his inaugural speech, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mentioned the importance of learning the country’s national language “with equal emphasis and facility in a global language”. Along with this, Marcos also stated that “sharpening the language skills” of Filipino workers will give them the needed tools to survive and be successful wherever they may be employed.
To know more about the ongoing foreign language courses offered by TESDA, interested applicants may visit their website by clicking here.