Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo addresses the latest batch of trainees during the 2019 Skills Olympics. Photo by Janette Vicera

17 June 2019 LONDON—“I want to see our overseas Filipinos transform themselves from workers into entrepreneurs, from employees to employers. There are so many cases of former OFWs who have reached financial and personal success through hard work and the courage to dream big,” said Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo during the first Skills Olympics led by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office at Baden-Powell House, London on 16 June.

The Skills Olympics is the culmination of the recent free Skills Training programme, which aims to expand the skill set of overseas Filipinos and to equip with them with the skills needed to start and manage a business.

The trainees competed in various categories ranging from make-up and skin care, cross-stitching, crocheting, bar tending, coffee mixing, table setting, and cake decorating.

“We hope that the participants will continue to nurture the skills they acquired through our training programs,” said Labor Attaché Amuerfina Reyes. “These new skills can help them chart a new career and become successful. In this way, they will eventually have a better narrative to tell which can be an inspiration to other OFWs.”

Special awards were given to trainees who demonstrated outstanding works in the respective skills that they studied. END

Labor Attaché Amuerfina Reyes congratulates the participants and expresses her hope that their new skills will be able to open doors of opportunities for them in the near future. Photo by Janette Vicera

Participants in the Table Setting category prepare the floral arrangement for their wedding-themed table setting. Photo by Stacy Garcia

 A participant in the cake decorating category sculpts edible flowers using sugar paste. Photo by Stacy Garcia