Here’s how Filipinos can learn foreign languages for free at the Philippines’ Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which recently announced it would be offering free language training programs in Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and English.
TESDA’s National Language Skills Center (NLSC) said in a Facebook post on July 7, 2023, that it would be offering 25 to 38-day courses lasting 4 hours per day. Classes will be held from Monday to Friday at the TESDA Central Office in Taguig City. There will be morning sessions from 8 am to 12 noon, as well as afternoon sessions from 1 pm to 5 pm.
The following are the specific language courses offered:
- Basic Korean Language and Culture (100 hours)
- Spanish Language for Different Vocations (100 hours)
- English Proficiency for Customer Service Workers (100 hours)
- Japanese Language and Culture (150 hours)
To be eligible to enroll for the free language courses, students must be Filipino citizens who are 18 years old and above and must be high school or Alternative Learning system graduates. Applicants may email lsi@tesda.gov.ph or call 8-818-8062 for details on how to pre-register. They should also indicate their complete name and inquiry.
TESDA added that interested learners from outside Metro Manila may contact their province-specific TESDA offices. The full list of TESDA offices and available scholarship programs are also available for applicants via the Biometric-Enabled Scholarship Registration Management System (BSRS) website. Free language literacy courses in English are also available virtually via the TESDA Online Program. To sign up, applicants only need to create an account on the website and enroll in the module. Site links in this tweet:
Check this out! TESDA is offering free language courses on Korean, Spanish, Japanese, and English. Story upcoming on @GoodNewsPinas_ https://t.co/lN1Nz0sCc1
— Summer Sanares (@scvannasummer) July 17, 2023
Established in 1994, TESDA is a government agency that provides skills and manpower development for the Filipino workforce. Aside from providing training in agriculture, entrepreneurship, electronics, and others, TESDA operates the Language Skills Institute (LSI). There are currently 35 LSI centers throughout the country.
While the language programs are catered to Filipinos who intend to work abroad, anyone can pursue the courses.
In 2022, TESDA Officer-in-Charge Deputy Director General Rosanna A. Urdaneta announced that the organization would increase its foreign language programs. TESDA Deputy Director General for Operations Aniceto “John” Bertiz III added that the agency had plans to teach future courses in Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Italian, and French.
Urdaneta noted that TESDA’s programs are all-inclusive, teaching not only languages but their surrounding cultures. “[This] will help Filipino workers easily adapt and adopt,” the TESDA website said, quoting Urdaneta.
As of 2021, 1,148 students have graduated from the NLSC. Most graduates were takers of English and Japanese courses.
In 2022, TESDA-accredited courses on masonry and carpentry were offered by the Base Bamboo Academy. In 2021, TESDA-NCR took part in a joint project to provide open educational scholarships for returning women OFWs and families.
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