Injection of home grown skills
2009-02-26
THE Western Cape proved its mettle again when students in Cape Town scored the highest marks in the country on the various external exams set by the Health Professions Council of South Africa. The students from the Pathcare Academy in Cape Town did so by substantial margins. Just over half the Academy’s student technicians achieved distinctions in the external exams. A total of 95% of the students studying at the Academy are from previously disadvantaged backgrounds. Students apply for the Academy courses and, if selected, pay no tuition or study fees. They are paid a monthly stipend to work within the company while they study under supervision in their chosen field. Amongst the graduates were the newly qualified class of Phlebotomy Technicians – from a two year course first introduced in South Africa in 2006. The class of qualified Phlebotomists were part of a group of 80 students who graduated in various programmes related to diagnostic pathology. An 88% pass rate in the external Phlebotomy Technician’s exam, compared to the national average of 55%, proved the calibre of the students and the Academy. A fully-fledged phlebotomist is equipped to collect blood, or other human tissue samples, safely for medical pathology or blood transfusion purposes. They are invaluable in hospitals and pathology depots, especially due to the shortage of nurses in South Africa. Eric Spencer, Head of the Academy says, “The best solution to the skills shortage is for the company to offer specialised ‘in-house’ teaching and development,” a sentiment echoed by guest speaker Keith Loynes, Chief Planner FET Colleges (WCED), at the graduation ceremony recently. He said that in-house training not only ensured that the company developed the skills they needed internally, but also topped up skills in the rest of that sector and supported public institutions which have been struggling to achieve such results for years.
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