JEDDAH: A total of 417 Filipinos in the Western Region will take the licensure tests scheduled Sept. 24-26 in Jeddah by the Philippine Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

A PRC statement posted on the website of the Philippine Consulate said the examinations will be held at the Ibn Sina Medical College in Mahajr street.

The lists cover examinees for architects, 46; civil engineers, 40; certified public accountants, 8; dentists, 3; electronics engineers, 11; electronics technicians (ECT), 7; professional teachers, 18; mechanical engineers, 18; master plumbers, 33; nurses, 127; radiologic technicians, 10; X-ray technicians, 3; and respiratory technicians, 22.

Some 25 registered electrical engineers and 39 registered master elections are also taking higher-level exams.

The PRC holds the special licensure exams yearly in selected sites in the Middle East to provide overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) the opportunity to get certified without taking a leave of absence from their jobs.

Outreach exams began in 1997 on orders of then President Fidel Ramos, who realized that many unlicensed Filipino professionals were working abroad because of the difficulty of leaving their jobs.

The first examination covered graduates of education courses who were working as maids in Hong Kong. The program was later expanded, with the PRC giving the first examination in Saudi Arabia in July 2001 for OFW civil engineers.

Last year, more than 1,000 examinees took the tests for different professions in Riyadh.