The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) is targeting to provide free assessment to 1,500 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Singapore.

The goal is to provide assessment to OFWs without having to go back to the Philippines, TESDA said.

Qualified OFWs will receive competency certification, allowing them to get better work opportunities.

“We are bringing our free assessment to our OFWs in different countries so that they won’t need to go back to the Philippines just to be assessed and certified,” TESDA Director General Suharto Mangudadatu said in a news release on Thursday.

He said OFWs need to be certified for job retention, promotion or to explore other job opportunities.

TESDA’s overseas assessment program will be held at the Universal Skills Development Institute and Filipino Computer & Literacy Program in Jeddah from June 14 to 20; Power Technical Training Center in Dubai from June 22 to 26; and CARE Academy, Bayan Academy, and Home Academy in Singapore on July 27 to 28.

The free assessment will be given to OFWs whether or not they received their training from TESDA.

“If they qualify for assessment and if they pass the actual assessment, they will be certified,” it said.

The AOP, TESDA said, is done every year based on requests from Asian and Middle East countries.

This year, the 1,500 target is not equally distributed to the three sites, TESDA said.

Among the qualifications to be assessed include Caregiving NC Il, Massage Therapy NC II, Electrical Installation and Maintenance NC II and III, and PV Systems Installation NC II, Automotive Servicing (Engine Repair) NC II, Automotive Servicing (Electrical Repair) NC II, Events Management Services NC III, and Trainers Methodology Level I. (PNA)