Workforce Development Agency (WDA) come out with alot of this type of Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) in which you can change your career by taking their programe.
For instance you can take a 2 year diploma in nursing and you don't have to pay any course fee. You have to work at the hospital during the 2 years too and you get a $1k allowance a month. After your course, you have to serve a 3 year bond with the hospital.
Although they say anyone can apply for it as long as they meet the minimum requirements for example, have 5 O level credits.
But in actual fact they are actually looking for people with at least some related experience.
Say 3 person apply for this diploma in nursing.
The first person graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a diploma in business and have been working as a Admin Executive for 3 years in a private company.
The second person only have O level qualification and has been working as full time sales assistant and part time clinic assistant at a private clinic. The clinic assistant experience is somehow related to nursing.
The third person is a foreigner who works as a phamarcy assistant in her country India. All her educational qualifications are from India. And we all know that India's educational certificates are not recognised in Singapore and are not recognised worldwide too.
They will chose the second and third person for the diploma in nursing course. The poor first person who is more educated and more qualified actually did not get chosen. The reason is because the second and third person has work experience that is a little bit related to what nursing is about.
Do you think this is fair?