The World Café of Opportunities (WCO) is helping prepare and connect skilled workers in Ilocos Norte with local and overseas employment opportunities, strengthening the province’s workforce and expanding pathways to global careers.
Led by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the WCO program is set on Wednesday at SM City Laoag in Ilocos Norte, bringing together jobseekers, technical-vocational graduates, employers, training institutions and government agencies in a one-stop platform for employment, skills upgrading, competency assessment, and other career support services.
“We are inviting all jobseekers in the province to take advantage of the World Cafe of Opportunities on Aug. 26 with 20 employers, including from National Capital Region confirming their participation,” Marinel Marcos, TESDA Specialist, said II in an interview on Tuesday.
The initiative is particularly valuable to Ilocos Norte’s skilled workers seeking opportunities here and abroad, Marcos said.
By linking qualified workers with overseas employers and manpower agencies, the WCO provides participants with a wider venue to explore career opportunities while learning about employment requirements and available support services.
Previous WCO activities in the province demonstrated strong demand for such opportunities. In 2025, nearly a thousand applicants participated in a WCO in Laoag, where 19 local and overseas employers offered at least 500 job vacancies.
The program also complements TESDA’s broader mandate of ensuring that technical-vocational training leads to meaningful employment. Its employment-linkaging efforts are designed to help techical and vocational education and training (TVET) graduates translate their skills into wage employment, self-employment or opportunities in the global labor market.
For Ilocos Norte, the WCO serves as a bridge between skills and opportunity — helping local talent find its place not only in the provincial economy but also in workplaces beyond the country’s borders.
“Thanks to the many opportunities being offered by TESDA to level up my skills. I feel more confident now with my added skills on early childhood education,” Marilou Cristobal, a certified Early Childhood Care and Development worker in San Nicolas town, said.
Along with other child development workers in the province who recently obtained their National Certificate III with TESDA, Cristobal said all their sacrifices have paid off with better career opportunities including a chance to get permanent employment.
“Big thanks to our President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for responding to the needs of workers like us on early childhood education. This upscaling program of TESDA is vital to our success,” Leila Anacleto, also a child development worker from this city, said. (PNA)
