The technical staff of the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) undertook a tracer study training-workshop on February 16 and 17, primarily in preparation for two research projects to be rolled out this year.

The Training-Workshop on Conducting Tracer Study, held at the Migration Information Resource Center, sought to assist ILS researchers in effectively developing and implementing tracer study undertakings, particularly on two programs of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The OWWA programs that ILS will cover in the projects are the Education for Development Scholarship Program (EDSP) and the Skills for Employment Scholarship Program (SESP).

Statisticians Maria Praxedes Peña, Plenee Grace Castillo and Madeleine Cabauatan served as the resource persons in the training, giving a review of basic statistics and research concepts as well as discussions on mixed-methods approach, sample design, and development of survey instruments.

On Day 2 of the training, the trainers provided the participants with a brief lecture on facilitating focus group discussion (FGD), a qualitative technique in collecting further data for analysis. They also ran a session on critiquing the initial proposals made for the EDSP and SESP tracer studies.

Through the EDSP, a qualified OFW dependent is granted a maximum financial assistance of P60,000 per academic year for a four-to-five year course in any college or university. On the other hand, the SESP provides for loan assistance coupled with skills development training for OFWs and their families in order to set up income-augmenting livelihood enterprises.

The Institute for Labor Studies is the policy research and advocacy arm of the Department of Labor and Employment002E For more information on this story, please contact Mr. Ronell J. Delerio of the Advocacy and Publications Division, Institute for Labor Studies at telephone nos. 5273490/257-3447.