OFWs in UAE upgrade themselves through Filipino-run technical schools

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – She was a domestic helper in the Philippines who was only able to finish 6th grade.

Forty-four-year-old Marion Beringuel went to Dubai where she also worked as a housemaid. But she wanted to change her path.

“Napagtanto ko na maghanap naman ng ibang trabaho,” the eldest of eight children said. (I decided to look for another job.)

But due to her educational background, better employment was elusive.

So, she enrolled in a Filipino-run, UAE-accredited technical school where she was able to finish a course, attending classes on every day off.

Beringuel, the daughter of a Higaonon couple in the mountain regions of Agusan del Sur, is now an assistant nurse.

“Napakahirap pong maging domestic helper at nanny,” said Merilyn Sernitchez, 31, pointing to a contusion she suffered from when she slipped by her employer’s swimming pool while saving a child from jumping into the water.

A high school graduate, she is now almost done taking a health care assistant course at another Filipino-run, UAE-certified technical school, and she will soon have a different job.

Cleaning the toilet

“Kuskos inidoro,” or brushing toilet bowls, is a common term among domestic helpers, and “normal po iyon na ginagawa namin,” said 40-year-old Joyce Padilla. (It’s a normal thing that we do.)

“Hindi po namin ikinahihiya iyon. Mapagtatapos ko ang mga anak ko ng nag-iiskoba ako ng inidoro,” she added. (We are not ashamed to do it. I’ll have my kids finish school while scrubbing toilet bowls.)

Also a high school graduate, Padilla enrolled in a technical school “para naman po hindi habambuhay ay nagkukusot ng inidoro (So I won’t have to be cleaning the toilet bowl all my life.)

11-year-old caregiver

Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), mostly high school graduates working as domestic helpers, are now upgrading their skills for better employment.

Others like Wena Samblan started working in the Philippines as a caregiver at 11 years old. Like Beringuel, she was only able to finish grade school “because financial struggles forced me to set aside my education.”

Growing up in the province, where farming was her parents’ only livelihood, she vowed to someday have “rice on the family table three times a day.”

She took a course to become a nursing assistant, and in her graduation speech she said: “My journey is proof that poverty is not the end of a dream. Sometimes we pause, but we do not quit. There is a right time for everything.”

Another is 27-year-old Begilyn Julie Padilla, a high school graduate from Pangasinan, now undergoing on-the-job training as an assistant pastry chef after taking a course in baking.

The list goes on.

Supportive Japanese 

But what is perhaps also interesting is a Japanese restaurateur who owns nine restaurants across Dubai and has sent more than 100 employees, mostly Filipinos, to school at the company’s expense for the past two years because he wants them to grow.

“I strongly believe that education should not only serve the company’s needs but also support the individual person. Strong companies are built by strong people. I believe companies should help create the future, not only provide salaries,” said 33-year-old Takahiro Mogi.

One of the students, Michel Alcarion, 27, was a college undergraduate who took a course in accounting management to “improve my skills, become more knowledgeable in accounting and finance, and prepare myself for better opportunities in the future.”

“As someone who experienced financial hardships and sacrifices, I value this opportunity deeply because I know not everyone is given a second chance to continue their education while working,” Alcarion said.

Another worker, 33-year-old Hope De Vera Oliveros, said she “realized the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement so I can keep up with the fast-changing work environment and industry standards.”

“Enrolling helped me gain more knowledge, improve my confidence, and prepare myself for better opportunities. I believe that studying and upgrading my skills is an investment in a better future,” Oliveros said.

Thirty-one-year-old Cherry Lyn Armedilla, a teenage mother, said she took up the study program to “improve my skills and grow within the company.”

“I believe that this program is not just for the company, but for personal development—to become better and more prepared for the future,” she said.

Overwhelming and inspiring

Kristine F. Ruelos, CEO of one of the technical schools, Brilliant Training Institute, which is certified by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said seeing the students finish their studies and “march on to another chapter of their lives overwhelms” her.

Ruelos is a UAE-certified nurse and has experienced what it is like to be a medical worker.

Gerryl Gaid, an actress and senior financial analyst, is CEO and co-founder of Ace Gen Advanced Generation Training. She said it makes her “proud and humble at the same time” to run the school.

“Marami sa mga students namin are OFWs like caregivers at domestic workers na may pangarap na magkaroon ng better opportunities and a better future for their families. Through education, unti-unti nilang nare-realize na hindi lang hanggang doon ang kaya nilang marating. Nakaka-inspire na makita how they continue learning despite long working hours and personal sacrifices abroad,” Gaid said.

(Many of our students are OFWs … who dream of better opportunities and a better future for their families. Through education, they gradually realize their life journey is endless. It’s inspiring to see how they continue….)

The school is certified by the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA).

Both technical schools offer study-now, pay-later plans. – Rappler.com