TAGUIG CITY -- The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is anticipating more applicants for Domestic Work assessment this year compared to the total number of assessed applicants last year.

The agency announced that it has already assessed 54,233 Domestic Work applicants just halfway of the Year 2020. This is higher by 7,980 compared to the 46,253 assessed applicants in 2020.

Secretary Isidro Lapeña explained that the rise in the number of Domestic Work assessments this year is being made possible by the accessible services provided by TESDA and the consideration made by the Inter-agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

During the height of the restricted community quarantine last year, TESDA launched the online registration for assessment for outbound OFWs to ease the process they undertake in-order to start or resume their jobs abroad as quickly as possible.

A National Certificate (NC) is one of the requirements for a Filipino to work overseas.

"They can just download the TESDA App and click the “TESDA Abot Lahat ang OFWs” button where they can choose either to train or to be assessed. If they choose to be assessed, the concerned TESDA provincial or district office will give them the schedule of their assessment in the nearest assessment center," he added.

Lapeña also directed the agency’s regional offices to establish additional assessment centers nationwide after the IATF-EID allowed the resumption of face-to-face competency assessment.

“We want to ensure that our kababayans who need to undergo assessment would not have any difficulty in finding an assessment center. In fact, from May to June this year, we opened additional assessment centers in the NCR, Region III and Region IV-A,” the TESDA chief added.

From the total number of assessed Domestic Work Graduates from January to June this year, a total of 49,283 were certified which is equivalent to 90.87% certification rate.

Meanwhile, due to the continuing pandemic, Lapeña is reminding qualified outbound domestic workers to avail the agency’s existing Online Portfolio Assessment.
 
Leonila De Mesa, an outbound OFW, was able to secure her National Certificate after passing her Portfolio Assessment in October last year.

She affirmed that TESDA is really extending the right services for OFWs.

“I want to thank Secretary Lapeña and everyone in TESDA for answering my queries and helping me all throughout the process. You taught and guided me on what to do and what’s good for me when I work abroad,” she said. (TESDA)