Press Releases

Home Team Training Programmes to be Accredited and Nationally Recognised under the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA)’s Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) System

9 March 2016

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Two men in shirts shake hands, holding navy folders with gold corners, behind a white table.

Mr Ng Cher Pong and Mr T. Raja Kumar concluding the signing of the MOU

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 9 March 2016. This MOU facilitates WDA's accreditation of the training institutions under the Home Team as in-house Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications [1] (WSQ) Approved Training Organisations [2] (ATOs).

2. The MOU was signed by Mr T. Raja Kumar, Deputy Secretary (International), Ministry of Home Affairs, concurrently Chief Executive of the Home Team Academy (HTA), and Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of WDA.

3. Under this collaboration, Home Team courses will be accredited under the WSQ system, ensuring that the quality of its training programmes is maintained at a high standard. Home Team trainers will also be trained under the Training and Adult Education (TAE) [3] WSQ framework. This follows the earlier accreditation of the Singapore Civil Defence Force's Civil Defence Academy in 2014. With this MOU, the Home Team Academy, Singapore Prison Service Training School and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority Training School will be accredited and join CDA as in-house WSQ ATOs. With ATO certification, Home Team officers who complete these WSQ-accredited training programmes will be issued nationally-recognised WSQ Statements of Attainment [4] (SOAs) and qualifications.

4. The collaboration will see about 1,000 Home Team trainers certified as Adult Educators over the next three years. The WSQ SOAs and qualifications will benefit Home Team officers, including Full-time National Service personnel (NSFs), as they give recognition to HT officers of their professional standing in the industry and provide opportunities for networking, collaboration, learning and continuous professional development. The WSQ SOAs and qualifications will benefit NSFs when they enter the workforce later.

5. WDA is at the forefront of strengthening the skills of the Singapore workforce and driving enterprise-centric productivity growth through lifelong learning and skills deepening. The WSQ system is a national credential system developed in collaboration with industry stakeholders. It allows individuals to take charge of their own skills needs and career advancement as well as enables employers to identify, train and maintain a skilled workforce to enhance their businesses' competitive edge.

6. Entrusted with the responsibility of keeping Singapore safe and secure, the Home Team training institutions' adoption of the WSQ system will help the Home Team to benchmark its training institutions' training quality against national standards.

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"As the Home Team further invests to transform the training and learning landscape and enhance the quality of training and learning for Home Team officers, it is important that we benchmark the Home Team's training capabilities against national standards. Through this partnership with WDA, the Home Team will ensure that the standards of our training programmes are benchmarked against the national level and that the quality of our training allows our officers to achieve operational effectiveness and meet current and future challenges. Importantly, Home Team officers – including National Servicemen - will benefit from the national recognition that their Home Team training courses carry." T. Raja Kumar Deputy Secretary (International), Ministry of Home Affairs And concurrently Chief Executive, Home Team Academy
"The nationally-recognised WSQ system provides individuals with industry-validated training to acquire skills and competencies that are in line with employers' workplace needs. Through this MOU, WDA will continue to support MHA in enhancing and professionalising the training that MHA officers are already undertaking, and to provide greater recognition of MHA officers' capabilities as they serve to safeguard Singapore's security." Mr Ng Cher Pong Chief Executive Singapore Workforce Development Agency

"As the Home Team further invests to transform the training and learning landscape and enhance the quality of training and learning for Home Team officers, it is important that we benchmark the Home Team's training capabilities against national standards. Through this partnership with WDA, the Home Team will ensure that the standards of our training programmes are benchmarked against the national level and that the quality of our training allows our officers to achieve operational effectiveness and meet current and future challenges. Importantly, Home Team officers – including National Servicemen - will benefit from the national recognition that their Home Team training courses carry."

T. Raja Kumar

Deputy Secretary (International), Ministry of Home Affairs

And concurrently

Chief Executive, Home Team Academy

"The nationally-recognised WSQ system provides individuals with industry-validated training to acquire skills and competencies that are in line with employers' workplace needs. Through this MOU, WDA will continue to support MHA in enhancing and professionalising the training that MHA officers are already undertaking, and to provide greater recognition of MHA officers' capabilities as they serve to safeguard Singapore's security."

Mr Ng Cher Pong

Chief Executive

Singapore Workforce Development Agency

[1] The Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) is a national credentialing system. It trains, develops, assesses and recognises individuals for the key competencies that companies look for in potential employees.

[2] A training organisation that has met the accreditation criteria established by WDA would be approved for WSQ training and assessments and is considered an Approved Training Organisation (ATO).

[3] The TAE WSQ framework was also developed to improve the capabilities and professionalism of Continuing Education and Training (CET) Professionals, in areas such as adult education and training management.

[4] A Statement of Attainment (SOA) is a modular certificate awarded to trainees who have been assessed to be competent after completing a WSQ modular course. Trainees who have completed a stipulated number of SOAs will qualify for the award of a full WSQ qualification.