New Japanese Language Training Center Opens in Marikina: “OUR BLOOMING ACADEMY”

In July 2024, a new free educational center called “OUR BLOOMING ACADEMY Marikina” opened within the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina (PLMAR), located in the eastern part of Metro Manila. The school aims to provide Japanese language and vocational training to young Filipinos aspiring to work in Japan.

This is the second such center in the Philippines established by Onodera User Run (OUR), a company engaged in foreign talent training and employment services. With support from PLMAR, the academy utilizes classrooms and office space within the university. About 50 students were accepted after a screening process and have officially enrolled.

The project is the result of a four-party collaboration involving OUR, the City of Marikina, PLMAR, and Sakai Town in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan — a sister city of Marikina. In addition to education, the initiative includes plans for housing support through the use of vacant homes in Sakai Town for graduates who will be employed under Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker program.

OUR currently operates in five Asian countries including the Philippines, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, and India, with future plans to expand to Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, and Mongolia.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there were around 2.16 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in 2023. Remittances from Filipinos abroad — including OFWs — reached around USD 34.5 billion in 2024, accounting for approximately 8.3% of the country’s GDP. In Japan alone, over 240,000 Filipinos were working as of October 2024, making them the third-largest foreign nationality group after Vietnamese and Chinese nationals.