LAOAG CITY -- Ilocanos are being encouraged to level up their knowledge and skills for better work opportunities here and abroad by acquiring multi-language education.
A one-stop shop language center is set to be inaugurated here by January next year to offer Nihongo, German and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) review.
The proposed site is at the fourth floor of Kumon building in Laoag’s central business district. Initiated by a Piddig-born specialist nurse who is now based in London, United Kingdom, the Talaytayan Language Center—Laoag branch is now ready to accept new enrollees.
“The world is changing in a way that familiarity of a foreign language is needed before deployment for work abroad. And the people of the north should not be left behind compared to other parts of the country,” said Riza Tongson-Espe, a technical consultant of Bison Management Corporation and the current managing director of Tongson Specialist Services Ltd.
Noting that 380,000 jobs await caregivers to Japan, Espe said the language training in partnership with the Philippine Human Resource Global Information Center (PHRGIC) and SAGE Asian Language and Education Center (SALAEC) offers an edge to Ilocanos should they consider applying for work abroad.
“What we are trying to advocate here in the north is to educate everyone about the importance of acquiring multi-language education,” Espe told newsmen in Laoag on Tuesday.
Suzette Vicencio, general manager of SALAEC, said their company based in Bulacan is ready to team up with Ilocos Norte in providing learners with quality education for Nihongo.
The SALAEC maintains branches in Manila and Bulacan and specializes in teaching the Japanese language and culture to the Filipinos.
Vicencio said prior to the deployment of caregivers to Japan, there is a need to pass the Japanese language proficiency test or N4 from the country of origin.
“Filipino caregivers, even if they possess the necessary skills, cannot be hired in Japan if they do not pass N4,” she said, citing being proficient in Nihongo and other languages had numerous advantages not only for caregivers but also for language translators or interpreters.
Following a meeting at the Japan Diet with House Representative Congressman Hiromichi Watanabe, chairperson of the special committee for regional revitalization and Congressman Yoshitaka Sakurada with the business delegates and dignitaries from the Philippines, Japanese investors are now eyeing to set up a training facility in the Philippines to enhance the employability of Filipino healthcare professionals such as Japan-bound nurses and caregivers.
Espe, who is a part of the Philippine delegation, said it is high time for Ilocos residents to take advantage of this huge opportunity.
Clark Dexter Badaran, president of PHRGIC, said scholarship grants are also available for applicants should they wish to pursue the Japanese language course for a period of three months and one week or equivalent to 320 hours.
He assured graduates of this short-term language training course are guaranteed to have 100-percent employment assistance.
Badaran said the new language training course has so far produced at least 60 N4 passers from SALAEC. (PNA) NOVEMBER 2017
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Topic: Ilocanos urged to learn third language to improve employability (Read 228 times)