Quezon city: The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to help overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) earn college degrees faster by recognizing their years of work experience. This initiative aims to provide more qualified OFWs with opportunities to earn academic degrees under CHED's Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP).

According to Philippines News Agency, OWWA chief Patricia Yvonne 'PY' Caunan shared that the Lifelong Learning Education Assistance Program for OFWs (LEAP-OFWs) would allow OFWs to reduce the time required to earn a degree. Normally, a college degree takes about four years, but with the program, OFWs can finish in two years or even one year, thanks to their work experience being credited towards their studies. Additionally, OWWA will support them through scholarships, and they can complete their degree even if they are still working abroad.

The ETEEAP program is designed to convert professional experience and prior learning into academic credits, enabling OFWs to complete a bachelor's degree in as little as one to two years, depending on their assessed experience and competencies. This initiative targets migrant workers who have spent years abroad but were unable to finish college.

Caunan highlighted that many OFWs have worked for 10 to 15 years in various industries but still lack a bachelor's degree. The program offers them a chance to complete their studies, aligning with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to strengthen reintegration and ensure clear opportunities for OFWs upon returning to the Philippines.

The first pilot batch of the program will accommodate 100 OFWs, equally divided between those still overseas and those who have returned. OFWs currently abroad can take the courses online, allowing them to work and study simultaneously.

The program is funded through the General Appropriations Act, not from OWWA's trust fund, and is open to all OFWs under the Alagang OWWA Program, including non-members. OWWA will provide educational assistance to help qualified OFWs with tuition costs in participating colleges and universities.

Caunan emphasized that the initiative is part of a broader government effort to reintegrate OFWs, in coordination with CHED, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), to connect graduates with job opportunities both locally and abroad. OWWA plans to release application guidelines for the initial batch of LEAP-OFWs beneficiaries soon.

CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis noted that approximately 300 OFWs have already graduated under the existing ETEEAP system.