TESDA to open new language courses by September

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 18) — The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Monday said five more foreign language courses would be available for Filipino workers by September.

"By September, fully operational na ang additional foreign languages natin (our additional language [courses] would be fully operational)," TESDA Deputy Director General for Operations John Bertiz told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Ngayon.

Bertiz said the agency will start offering Italian, French, Mandarin, Arabic, and Korean.

The official said the move seeks to support the "high demand" for Filipino skilled workers, especially in the sectors of tourism, agriculture, and health care.

"This is in response to the demand for, the need of, language training for the job-ready Filipino workforce here and abroad," he said.

Currently, TESDA has the following programs under the National Language Skills Center:

- English Proficiency for Customer Service Workers

- Japanese Language and Culture

- Japanese Language and Culture Level II

- Spanish Language for Different Vocations

Bertiz said TESDA has already produced around 14,000 graduates under NLSC since 2007.