SENATOR Richard Gordon on Monday urged the estimated 9,000 overseas Filipino workers in quarantine to enroll in Technical Education and Skills Development Authority’s online courses which range from eight to 40 hours.

“We encourage OFWs to spend their quarantine or isolation by enrolling in the TESDA’s online courses as there are over 60 or more to choose from, which could help them open new opportunities upon completion of quarantine,” he said.

“Sa paglahok sa mga online course na ito, mapapayabong ang kaalaman at abilidad ng ating mga bagong bayani, dahil ito ay makatutulong din sa paghahanap nila ng bagong trabaho kung saan man nila magustuhan,” he added.

The online program has attracted millions of Filipinos since the onset of the pandemic.

Courses range from electrical and electronics, entrepreneurship, information and communications technology, basic computer operations, cooking, agriculture, tourism, automotive, healthcare, among others.

About 7,500 OFWs enrolled with TESDA in 2020, with 6,140 of them graduating, while 1,856 were certified by the government agency.

Gordon credited TESDA for helping unlock the potential of many Filipinos.

“The TESDA concept is very special because it teaches people not to let themselves wallow in self-pity, instead be able to improve through quality skills education,” he pointed out.

“They are willing to be educated themselves as blue collar workers, which are the kind of jobs Filipinos are in demand for abroad. By learning new concepts, they could find new jobs either here or overseas, which will directly bolster the economy,” he said.