Workplace. What is Workplace Literacy training and assessment about? WPL Assessment. WPL Courses. How Do I Sign Up For Assessments?

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1 What is Workplace Literacy training and assessment about? Situated in a strategic location in the region, Singapore is a hub for many industries and a magnet for foreign investments. With English as the most common working language in this global marketplace and having a team of staff who is proficient in English would distinguish your company from the rest. The Workplace Literacy (WPL) assessment and training helps companies achieve that goal. It creates an alternate pathway for your Singaporean Low Wage Workers (LWWs) to improve their workplace English. Since its launch in 2004, over 100,000 workers have attempted the WPL assessment and more than 14,000 have benefitted from the WPL training. WPL Courses The WPL courses and assessment system are jointly developed by WDA and CASAS (Comprehensive Adult and Student Assessment Systems), a US-based adult assessment system approved and validated by the US Department of Education and Department of Labor to assess the literacy level of both native and non-native speakers of English. The WPL courses are available at three levels in three pathways: 90 hours WPL (Comprehensive) covering Reading, Listening, Speaking & Writing 45 hours WPL (Conversational) covering Reading, Listening & Speaking 45 hours WPL (Writing) covering Reading & Writing WPL Assessment Different jobs require different level of English language proficiency. WPL assessment helps to assess a worker s level to determine their English literacy training needs. The WPL assessment appraises your workers English language proficiency and provides training recommendations for your workers. Four English assessments are available at a highly subsidised rate of $3.50 (excluding GST) per modality for Singaporean citizens and Permanent Residents. Each assessment takes 30 to 60minutes: WPL Assessment Modality Reading Listening Speaking Writing Assessment Format Multiple Choice Questions Computer Adaptive Test Questions & Answers Computer Based Test Picture and/or Essay Computer Based Test How Do I Sign Up For Assessments? Signing up for the WPL assessment is easy. Simply log on for direct online booking or call to sign up. Alternatively, you can approach one of the five WPL CETCs. What do I get at the end of the assessment? For each assessment attempted, your staff will receive a nationally recognized Statement of Attainment (SOA) indicating their level of proficiency, ranging from SOA 1 to SOA 8.

2 What is WPLN credentialing project about? The Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) credentialing project is aimed at getting employers and training institutions to recognise the WPLN credentials as an alternative to GCE N and O levels for recruitment and admission purpose. To date, over 2,900 employers and training institutions recognise and accept the WPLN credentials as an alternative recruitment and entry requirement to GCE N/O level qualifications. These companies include both international and national privately owned business from various sectors ranging from retail, food and beverage, hospitality, healthcare, construction and manufacturing, as well as the Singapore Public Service Division. The WPLN credentials are also benchmarked against GCE N/O levels and international standards by UK NARIC, a British national agency responsible for providing advice and expert opinion on vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications worldwide ( Your recognition of the WPLN credentials as an alternative recruitment criterion to the formal academic qualifications (e.g. GCE N/O levels) will open your access to over 100,000 potential job candidates. For a full list of employers and training institutions that recognise the WPLN credentials, please refer to: For a full version of the NARIC report, please refer to: How do I determine the WPLN Level for the job positions? i. Comparison with academic qualifications ii. Reference to what other employers are using for similar job positions iii. By the level of personal interaction and independence required in a job position i. Comparison with academic qualifications Table 1 shows the mapping of the WPLN proficiency levels with GCE N/O Level as well as IELTS based on the benchmarking study by UK NARIC. UK NARIC found that WPLN Level 5 is closely matched to GCE N/O level pass in terms of learning outcomes. Hence, if you use GCE N/O level qualifications for your job entry requirements, you could consider using WPLN level 5 as an alternative. In 2010, the Department of Statistics also officially included the WPLN credentials in the Singapore Standard Education Classification (SSEC) published by the Department. Table 1 Mapping of WPLN Proficiency Levels with GCE N & O levels and IELTS WPLN Proficiency Level WPLN Proficiency Level IELTS SECONDARY 6 Level 5 and above) LOWER SECONDARY Level 3 or 4) PRIMARY 1 Level 1 or 2) 1 IELTS, the International English Language Testing System, is an internationally recognised English language assessment developed by the University of Cambridge to assess the language ability of candidates who need to study or work where English is the language of communication. It covers the four language skills listening, reading, writing and speaking (

3 ii. Reference to what other employers are using for similar job positions Table 2 shows some examples of the WPLN levels other employers are using to recruit new employees for similar job positions. It should be noted, however, that the minimum WPLN Level required by the same job position may vary depending on the specific industry sector. Table 2 The WPLN Levels accepted for specific job positions Job Position Minimum Education Levels WPLN Level accepted by most companies as alternative Account O Level/Diploma 5 Administrative N Level/O Level 5 Ambulance Driver Secondary 5 Assistant Chief Security Officer O Level/NITEC 5 Assistant Supervisor Secondary 4 Beauty Consultant N Level/O Level 5 Beauty Therapist N Level 3 Building Custodian Primary 2 Business Development Manager N Level/O Level 5 Butler O Level 7 Cashier Secondary 4 Chief Security Officer O Level/A Level 4 Cleaner Primary 2 Clinic Assistant N Level/O Level 5 Coach Driver Primary 4 Concierge N Level/O Level 5 Cook Certificate 4 Corporate Support N Level 5 Customer Service/ Relations N Level/O Level 5 Data Entry N Level/O Level 5 Driver (Delivery) Primary/Secondary 3 Editor Degree 8 Engineer Degree 8 F&B Crew/ Waiter N Level/O Level 3 F&B Waiter/Captain N Level 5 Field Assistant Primary 2 Fitting Room Assistant Primary 2 Florist N Level/O Level 4 Front Office Receptionist O Level/NITEC 4 Gardener Primary 2 General Worker Primary 2 Healthcare Assistant O Level/NITEC 7 Housekeeping Primary 4 Housekeeping Attendant Primary/Secondary 2 Inventory Officer N Level 4 Logistics/Operations Assistant N Level/O Level 3 Machine Operator Secondary 4 Machinist NIL to O Level 2 Management Trainee N Level 4 Managerial O Level/Diploma 5 Merchandising Clerk O Level/Diploma 5 Medical Registration Officer/Executive Operating Theatre Assistant Diploma/Degree 7 O Level 7 Operation Coordinator N Level/O Level 5 Operation Executive Diploma 5 Pharmacy Assistant Secondary 5 Phone Receptionist N Level 5 Product Specialist N Level 5 Production Operator N Level/O Level 3 Production Worker Primary 3 Professional Conduct Officer/Executive Diploma/Degree 7 Driver Primary 3

4 Programme/Project Executive Project Managerial O Level/Diploma 6 Degree 8 QA Inspector/Technician N Level/O Level 4 Receptionist N Level/O Level 5 Retail Assistant Secondary 4 Sales N Level/O Level 5 Secretary O Level 4 Security Officer Secondary 4 Senior Security Officer Secondary 4 Site Secondary 4 Supermarket Staff Secondary 4 Supervisory O Level/NITEC 5 Technician O Level/NITEC 4 Telemarketer Secondary 2 Temp Administrative O Level/NITEC 4 Therapy Assistant O Level/NITEC 7 Ticketing Officer N Level 4 Tour Leader Primary 5 Translator Diploma 8 Warehouse Assistant Primary 3 Warehouse Coordinator N Level/O Level 5 Workplace Safety & Health Officer Diploma 8

5 iii. Level of personal interaction and independence required in a job position Table 3 below shows the WPLN levels other employers have adopted for each job position in relation to the required level of personal interaction and independence. Select an appropriate WPLN level for job entry requirement by the level of personal interaction and independence required in a job position. Level of Personal Interaction HIGH MID LOW WPLN Level Retail Assistant Management Trainee Florist Cashier Cook Machine Operator F&B Crew/Waiter Beauty Therapist Driver Logistics/ Operation Assistant Production Worker Warehouse Assistant Housekeeping Attendant Cleaner Construction Field Assistant Building Custodian Machinist Gardener F&B Captain Beauty Consultant Clinic Assistant Concierge Corporate Support Customer Service Receptionist Sales Tour Leader Accountant Administrative Data Entry Merchandising Clerk Operation Executive Pharmacy Assistant Assistant Supervisor Chief Security Officer Secretary Security Officer Inventory Officer QA Inspector/ Technician Project Managerial Workplace Safety & Health Officer Butler Healthcare Assistant Medical Registration Officer Operating Theatre Assistant Professional Conduct Officer Therapy Assistant Editor Translator Engineer Level of Independence Low Mid High