OWWA Press Release: Sto. Tomas, Roque inaugurate DoLE-OWWA-Microsoft IT Training Center for OFWs

Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia A. Sto. Tomas and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Marianito D. Roque today jointly led DoLE and OWWA officials in inaugurating a new IT training facility for overseas Filipino workers at the Ople Hall of the OWWA building on F.B. Harrison Street in Pasay City.

Joining Sto. Tomas and Roque were DoLE Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, Office of the Communications Director Susan V. Ople, DoLE Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Cortazar, and Microsoft Philippines Managing Director Antonio "TJ" Javier.

The facility, called Community Learning Center, is a joint initiative of the DoLE and Microsoft to provide OFWs access to technology and computer training to enable them to communicate via the internet.

The Center is one of the projects under Microsoft's Unlimited Potential or UP program, a global initiative focused on increasing worldwide computer literacy by providing technology skills for underserved individuals.

In the country, the program is dubbed "Tulay" and is being implemented by Microsoft Philippines.

The company partnered with the DoLE in 2004 to establish three such centers, one each at the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Singapore and Malaysia and another at the OWWA. It provided a one-year grant of P4 million in cash and P3 million worth of software to the DoLE for the three centers. The grant assistance covered the cost of computers, training modules, and salaries ot trainors.

The DoLE provided the venues for the Centers. It is also tasked to identify the beneficiaries and to provide administrative support. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority provided the initial training for trainors in the Center at the OWWA. It is estimated that over 3,500 OFWs will benefit from the project.

The Center at the OWWA has 26 computers which OFWs and dependents will use to train on basic computer applications such as Word, Excel, e-mail/web functions, and other short courses. Short courses will run a maximum of three days while computer familiarization and Internet usage will be taught for a minimum of four hours.

"We appreciate Microsoft's effort of expanding its program of reducing the global technology divide by including our OFWs. This community technology center provided by Microsoft will help immensely our OFWs," Secretary Sto. Tomas remarked during the inauguration.

She said the skills the OFWs will gain from training in the Center will enhance their marketability and help them gain an edge over other workers who have not learned the use of computers.

On his part, Administrator Roque pledged to make the community technology center truly a beehive of learning for OFWs and their families. He said he will make the Center's facilities available to departing OFWs to communicate via e-mail, engage in video conferencing, and MSN chat.

"Technology empowers and that's exactly what we will do at the Center for our OFWs," he said