The Manila Times

Tesda, OWWA sign deal to boost OFWs access to skills development services

MANILA, Philippines — On Migrant Workers' Day, two government offices signed a memorandum of agreement to give overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) access to skills development and reintegration services. The deal was signed in Hong Kong on Sunday by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. "What we want is to always give all we can for our OFWs. With the help of this MOA, finally, our coordination for profiling, referral, skills training, assessment and certification, scholarship support, as well as employment facilitation will be institutionalized," Tesda Secretary Kiko Benitez said in Filipino and English in his message. The Tesda said the deal "also promotes data sharing, systems integration, and joint program implementation through regional offices, migrant centers, and overseas facilities." The agency said that it was "conducting competency assessments for 63 OFWs in Massage Therapy NC II" or National Certificate Level II from June 6 to 7, 2026 at the OFW Global Training Center in Hong Kong. The assessments were conducted for free under its Overseas Assessment Program.