22 February 2023, Seoul - Filipino EPS workers attended the Information Workshop on Korea Immigration and Integration Program (KIIP) and HRD Vocational Skills Training on 12 February 2023 at the Embassy's Sentro Rizal Hall.

The activity was organized by the Philippine Embassy through the Migrant Workers Office - OWWA, in cooperation with the Itaewon Global Village Center (IGVC) in Seoul as part of the skills development support program for OFWs in Korea.

Due to the high number of registered participants, two (2) batches of the said information session were held on the same day.

In her Opening Message, Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega welcomed the keen interest of the participants in further advancing their Korean language and skills proficiency through the KIIP and HRD trainings. "We want to support your plans to successfully register and enroll in the programs offered by the Korean government to foreign workers, and to increase your chances of qualifying for employment opportunities for skilled visa categories and other long-term occupations that may be available in the future", the Ambassador said. She added that the pioneering information workshop was prompted by the pronouncements of the Employment and Labor Minister during his meeting with the Ambassadors of the EPS-sending countries last December om the important of skills advancement, and the request of participants for continued assistance during the subsequent online sharing forum with the EPS workers held on 15 January 2023.

Director Katherine Ann Corteza of the IGVC, who was the main speaker of the workshop, led the participants in going through the step-by-step procedures of registering and enrolling in the online system of the KIIP. She also provided them with practical tips in navigating the system, and in choosing their respective level, schedule, and training center location. FilCom leaders Mr. Neon Rodney Queman, and volunteers from the Filipino EPS Workers Association (FEWA) and Pinoy Iskolars in Korea (PIKO) assisted the participants during the actual workshop and enabled them to create their respective accounts and be ready to enroll for their level test and/or KIIP training.

Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste Valderrama also provided the participants with an introduction to the vocational trainings offered to EPS workers under the HRDK Happy Return Program, and other trainings offered by various migrant support centers in Korea and MWO-OWWA, and how to avail of them. END