A language training center in Silang, Cavite has been shut down by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) for allegedly recruiting workers to Germany without the necessary license from the government.
In a statement on Thursday, Aug. 29, the DMW said that the office of Volant Academy for Language Excellence, Inc. in Barangay Lumil was shut down by the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau (DMW-MWPB) in coordination with the municipality of Silang and local police.
DMW Asst. Sec. Francis Ron de Guzman said that the department conducted surveillance operations which revealed that Volant has been allegedly engaged in the illegal recruitment of their language students to Germany as nurses or caregivers, auto mechanics, baker, butcher, restaurant specialists, and security specialists.
The applicants, according to the DMW, are required to undergo a dual training program which combines vocational education with on-the-job training for a company.
Then, they need to pass German language levels A1 to B2 training and practical job training for eight months, after which they will be given a full-time job in Germany with a monthly salary of P60,000, the DMW said.
Using student visas, the applicants will then be sent to Germany and will work part-time for their employers while studying at the same time. Once the students complete the three-year apprenticeship program, they will receive a German diploma and a full-time job offer from the employer, the DMW said.
The catch here is that the applicants need to pay P515,900 worth of processing fee, language training fee and practical job training fees.
“The DMW is serious in taking down these learning firms that illegally recruiting their students for overseas work. This is illegal recruitment because this language training center is neither licensed and authorized by the DMW,” De Guzman said.
According to the DMW, Volant has admitted to deploying almost 200 students to Germany through their program.
The DMW urged other applicants who fell victim to Volant to contact the DMW-MWPB through their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/dmwairtip and email address at [email protected] for the filing of appropriate cases.