PRESS RELEASE
SingHealth Ups Investment In Education
Close to 1,000 healthcare staff to benefit from sponsored training programme
Singapore’s largest healthcare cluster, SingHealth, announced plans to commit $19m for skills upgrading of its nursing and para-nursing staff over the next six years. This will benefit 970 nursing and para-nursing staff within the cluster’s healthcare institutions. The increase in training investment is made possible with additional funding support from the Ministry of Health.
SingHealth’s Enrolled Nurses, Healthcare Assistants and Patient Care Assistants will have the opportunity to undergo a fully sponsored 3-month long intensive skills training programme.
The Senior Enrolled Nurse (SEN) Developmental Programme accredited by the Singapore Nursing Board will equip Enrolled Nurses with in-depth skills in advanced nursing and specialised areas such as oncology and peritoneal dialysis. This course will equip them with specialist skills and allow further professional development opportunities for this group of staff who may not be eligible to pursue nursing diploma programmes.
SingHealth’s Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) and Patient Care Assistants (PCAs) will also benefit from a fully sponsored 3-month training programme. They will embark on advanced skills training so that they can effectively support the functions of junior nurses. Upon successful completion of the course, the HCAs and PCAs will each enjoy a $40 increment to their monthly salary to reflect their expanded roles.
This training initiative signals the cluster’s commitment to make jobs in the healthcare industry more attractive. The announcement comes on the heels of the successful completion of negotiations for the healthcare group’s collective agreement with the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union last month, which brings about enhanced pay packages for nurses and allied health staff.
SingHealth’s Group CEO, Prof Tan Ser Kiat, also announced the establishment of an education bursary for its staff from low-income families. A total of $30,000 has been earmarked for the bursary that will provide financial assistance. HSEU will fund $10,000 with the rest provided by SingHealth. This move demonstrates the commitment and collaborative efforts of the cluster and union to improve staff welfare and development.
The education bursary will go towards assisting dependents of staff for education at local schools, colleges and institutions of higher learning. To qualify, staff who apply for the bursary must have a combined family income of $2,000 or less.
“Putting resources towards this bursary is a natural extension of our cluster’s long history and commitment to teaching, training and continuing education. We want to ensure that ongoing development opportunities are accessible for our staff and their children and view this as an investment in our collective future”, said Prof Tan.
Mr Heng Chee How, Minister of State for Health and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress, said, “I applaud SingHealth and HSEU for successfully concluding the Collective Agreement. Their efforts have enhanced the attractiveness of careers in the healthcare sector. Significant improvements have been achieved in pay and benefits, in enlarging the scope and value of work for various professions, in promoting professional education and development, and in boosting the employability of mature workers in this important industry.”
With 18% of its 14,000 employees aged over 50, SingHealth has made harnessing the talents and experience of mature workers a priority with innovative measures such as flexible work arrangements, job aids, career choice tools, creation of new roles and ongoing training and development opportunities. These measures recently won SingHealth an award in the “Best Mature Workforce Practices” category at the HRM Awards 2007 on 2 February.