ITE and the Singapore Civil Defence Force Sign Memorandum of Understanding

On 24 March 2008, Director/Chief Executive Officer of ITE, Mr Bruce Poh, and Commissioner of Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Commissioner James Tan, penned their signatures on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU signing ceremony was witnessed by Dr Ricky Tam, Principal, ITE College East and LTC Yazid Bin Abdullah, Director, Training Department, SCDF. This marks a significant milestone for both organisations through the collaborative effort in training future paramedic students in ITE.

With more than 109,000 emergency calls in 2007 alone, which has increased 12% as compared to the 2006 figures, there exists a growing demand for frontline healthcare professionals who are capable of effective assessment and management of medical emergencies.

As severe trauma injuries is a major public health concern which brings about significant mortality and morbidity, our approach to paramedic education is based largely on practical learning.  It is effective assessment and management that often results in favourable outcomes in recovery. The Higher Nitec in Paramedic & Emergency Care aims to equip students with adequate skill sets, in-depth knowledge and analytical capabilities which will enable them to render pre-hospital treatment effectively and efficiently.   

In his speech, Director/CEO of ITE, Mr Bruce Poh, said, “This will be the first paramedic training course offered by an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) in Singapore.  Students in this course will enjoy the rigour and systematic pedagogy of ITE as well as hands-on practical training provided by SCDF in the form of ambulance attachment.”

This collaboration underscores the increasing importance of building higher levels of proficiency of paramedics through education and training. We are looking forward to the commencement of the new course on 14 April 08, as our pioneer students begin their exciting and challenging journey in ITE to pursue their dreams and aspirations as a paramedic.

Submitted by: Ms Joanna Tang (LT/NR/CE)