CALOOCAN CITY, (PIA) -- Some 50 young people from Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila will soon undergo English skills proficiency training at the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to allow them the opportunity to work in the business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector.

TESDA Deputy Director General Aniceto D. Bertiz III said a total of 50 scholarship slots have been granted to at least 50 young individuals for the English Proficiency for Customer Service Workers Course under the Training for Work Scholarship Program (TWSP).

“Through this English proficiency training, these young people will make a difference for their families and community.  We are looking forward to their successful completion, and hopefully, we can have more learners who are interested to join the program,” he said.

Bertiz said TESDA will provide training not only to upskill the beneficiaries, but also to help them gain confidence in speaking and using the language, which they can use when applying for work once they graduate.

“Once they have achieved proficiency in communicating in English, they will have not only the competence but also the confidence to apply for jobs in various industries, especially in business process outsourcing,” he added.

Earlier, TESDA National Language Skills Center (NLSC) Administrator Mitzi G. Samson-Endriano, in coordination with Yaman, Kalinga at Pagmamahal ng Magulang Movement (YaKaP) and Joint Task Force – National Capital Region (JTF-NCR) met with families living in Baseco to identify prospective beneficiaries for the TWSP.

“The NLSC and all of TESDA’s language institutes nationwide heed the President’s call to improve the Filipinos’ proficiency in English and global languages.  Soon we shall offer more language courses that our kababayans can choose from,” Samson-Endriano said.

The NLSC Administrator explained that workers who have additional language skills are also more likely to succeed in their endeavors as they can easily adjust to the foreign cultures they will encounter while working abroad.

The training in English Proficiency for Customer Service Workers runs for 100 hours or 25 days and is being implemented through full online learning.  Entrants must be at least high school graduates to be considered for the program. (TESDA/PIA-NCR)