AL KHOBAR, KSA: Five overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia have become the first qualified beneficiaries of an OWWA education program that can help OFWs earn a college degree while recognizing skills and experience gained from years of work.
The beneficiaries are based in Al Khobar and qualified under the StepUP-ETEEAP Scholarship through the Lifelong Learning Education Assistance Program for OFWs, or LEAP-OFWs.
Qualified OFWs may receive educational assistance worth up to ₱50,000.
First beneficiaries come from Al Khobar
Of the five OFWs, two are set to receive Notices of Eligibility.
Three others will receive Notices of Award and Guarantee for educational assistance of up to ₱50,000.
According to reports on the program, the assistance will be paid directly to the beneficiary’s chosen higher education institution, subject to OWWA guidelines.
OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan said the program grew partly from suggestions raised by OFWs in Al Khobar who wanted opportunities to continue the education they had put aside while working for their families.
Your years of work may count toward a degree
The scholarship works alongside the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program, or ETEEAP.
ETEEAP allows qualified Filipinos to have previous learning, professional knowledge and work experience assessed by participating colleges and universities.
Instead of starting completely from the beginning, qualified skills and experience may be given academic credit toward a college degree.
CHED says assessments may include written tests, interviews, skills demonstrations and other methods used by authorized higher education institutions.
Under current ETEEAP rules, applicants must be Filipino citizens, be at least 23 years old, have completed secondary education or an accepted equivalent, and generally have at least five years of relevant work experience connected to the degree they want to pursue.
What Saudi OFWs should know
The first five beneficiaries show that the program is already reaching Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia.
However, the ₱50,000 assistance should not be treated as an automatic cash grant.
Applicants still need to qualify for ETEEAP and meet OWWA’s requirements before receiving assistance.
OFWs in Saudi Arabia who are interested may contact the OWWA Overseas Welfare Office serving their area for current application procedures.
For Al Khobar, OWWA lists its office at Room 344, 2nd Floor, Al Khobar Mall, with the email alkhobar@owwa.gov.ph and hotline +966 56 239 926.
For OFWs who had to stop college to work abroad, the program could provide a path to turn years of practical experience into progress toward a formal degree.