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Writeup on WSQ Higher Certificate Programme in Healthcare Support

The first run of the WSQ Higher Certificate Programme in Healthcare Support has commenced on 3rd November 2008. This new programme has been launched by NHG College’s Institute of Healthcare Workskills (IWS) to train lower skilled workers on how to provide care for patients, enter into new jobs and perform the role of healthcare assistants in our healthcare institutions.

The WSQ or Workforce Skills Qualifications is a national certification framework established by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to promote adult Continuing Education and Training (CET), skills upgrading and career progression. WSQ frameworks have been developed for various sectors, including Tourism, Retail, F&B, Security, Manufacturing, and recently Healthcare.

IWS is the first Approved Training Organisation accredited by WDA to commence training in the Healthcare WSQ. This follows months of work put into the development of curriculum, training materials and assessment plans in accordance with the WDA’s accreditation criteria.

This pioneer class of 11 trainees had all been recruited by National University Hospital (NUH). In support of government’s call to provide job and training opportunities to lower-educated Singaporeans, many of these trainees sponsored by NUH have secondary education and below. Upon completing the WSQ programme, a whole new career pathway is now open to these trainees. There will be opportunities to progress their skills by attending the Advanced Healthcare Assistant Programme, and even be accepted into the Institute of Technical Education’s (ITE) NITEC in Nursing Programme.

Also much aligned to our commitment to recruit and retain older workers; three of the trainees are above the age of 40 years old, with the oldest being 53 years old. These three trainees have been able to follow the rigorous training programme, thereby demonstrating that age is not a barrier to lifelong learning.

The WSQ programme enjoys a high level of funding from both the Skills Development Fund (SDF) to subsidize course fees and Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP) to provide absentee payroll funding. Through College’s lobbying, WDA had also agreed to extend the funding to cover the clinical attachment hours. This was previously not available in the original design of the Healthcare WSQ framework.

As part of WDA’s accreditation requirements, College’s nursing lecturers themselves have completed the WSQ Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA), which equips our lecturers with the essential skills and knowledge to design and deliver competency-based training programmes and assessment.

Thus the four-month WSQ healthcare assistant training programme has been designed based on adult learning principles and competency-based training approach. Consisting of classroom lectures, skills lab training and clinical attachment, the competencies taught include performing patient care, lifesaving techniques, workplace health and safety, etc. Emphasis will not only be on imparting knowledge, but also in the development of skills and changing of the mindsets and attitudes of the trainees to be more patient-centric.

In light of the recent economic slowdown, the WSQ Programme launched by NHG College will be the bridge in providing training opportunities to the vulnerable workers and meeting the institutions’ demand for skilled local healthcare assistants.