SLEC CommCare Academy Strengthens Multi-generational Workforce to Support Ageing Singapore
From intern to Community Care Associate – 23-year-old Naufal Rosli first joined St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) as a Temasek Polytechnic intern before continuing as contract staff. After completing National Service, he returned to SLEC to pursue a full-time career in community care. For close to two years, he has been supporting seniors through programmes and activities that keep them active, engaged and connected.
SINGAPORE, 29 June 2026 – St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) today officially opened the SLEC CommCare Academy at Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability. It announced a two-pronged approach to equip both adults and young people to pursue meaningful careers in the community care sector.
Since its establishment in 2018, the Academy has trained more than 5,000 healthcare professionals, caregivers and volunteers. Building on this foundation, SLEC will expand efforts to train more than 3,000 care professionals over the next three years. Through a two-pronged approach, it nurtures both current and future talent for the community care sector. For adults, including mid‑career switchers, it provides new workplace learning programmes to support upskilling efforts. For youths and students, it offers early exposure and build pathways into the sector through partnerships with Institutes of Higher Learning.
“As Singapore’s population ages and care needs grow in both complexity and intensity, building our people is key to better care and better lives for our seniors. Through the SLEC CommCare Academy, we aim to develop professionals who can deliver quality, person-centred care. We also seek to nurture them through meaningful career pathways, knowing that when we support them well, we build a sustainable pipeline of talent for the sector,” said Ms Winnie Koh, Head of SLEC CommCare Academy, St Luke’s ElderCare.
Supporting Workforce Upskilling in Community Care
A key focus of the Academy is strengthening the capabilities of the community care workforce through structured upskilling and workplace-based learning opportunities.
To enhance dementia care capabilities, SLEC piloted a Dementia Care Workplace Learning Programme in 2025. The programme combines three days of classroom learning with six months of structured workplace training, enabling care staff to apply their knowledge in real-world care settings under the guidance of trained preceptors. Participants build competencies in person-centred care, communication and activity facilitation for persons living with dementia. Following the successful pilot, SLEC will progressively roll out the programme across all 33 centres and three residences over the next three years.
Growing the Talent Pipeline through Sector-Academic Partnerships
To build a sustainable pipeline of future community care professionals, SLEC continues to deepen partnerships with Institutes of Higher Learning. Today, SLEC partners with 11 Institutes of Higher Learning — the Institute of Technical Education, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts University of the Arts Singapore, Nanyang Polytechnic, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Social Sciences and Temasek Polytechnic — creating multiple pathways for students to gain exposure to the community care sector and pursue meaningful careers in care.
Beyond internships and practicums, SLEC works closely with its academic partners to support curriculum development and workplace learning. With Ngee Ann Polytechnic, SLEC collaborates on the Perspectives of Ageing module under the Diploma in Psychology & Community Development, supporting students annually through guest lectures, experiential learning, and field practicums and field practicums. Students gain insights into Singapore’s ageing landscape, as well as developments in healthcare and community care. They also participate in immersive sessions at LifeLab™@SLEC and undertake a four-day practicum at SLEC Active Ageing Centres (Care). These experiences deepen their understanding of person-centred care, active ageing, and the realities of community-based practice. In addition, SLEC co-assesses students’ field performance and contributes practice-based perspectives, strengthening the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience.
Building on these efforts, SLEC and Temasek Polytechnic will establish a new Senior Care Centre on TP’s campus by 2026. This is Singapore’s first senior care centre within an academic institution. Beyond delivering care services, the centre will serve as a living laboratory on campus, where students can gain first-hand exposure to community care practice. Through the collaboration, SLEC and Temasek Polytechnic aim to facilitate student learning through internships, practicums, projects, learning journeys and other experiential opportunities.
One such example is 23-year-old Naufal Rosli, who first joined SLEC as an intern from Temasek Polytechnic. After completing National Service, he returned to SLEC to pursue a full-time career in community care. Having spent close to two years with the organisation across internship, contract and full-time roles, he now supports seniors in our SLEC Active Ageing Centre (Care) @ Ayer Rajah, facilitating programmes and activities to help them stay active and socially connected.
“Every day, my motivation is knowing that I can add value to even one senior’s life. Many seniors don’t have people to talk to, so when they come down, participate in activities and spend time with us, it feels like a day well spent,” shared Mr Naufal Rosli, Community Care Associate, St Luke’s ElderCare.
Accelerating Skills Development through Workplace Learning
Workplace learning forms a cornerstone of the Academy’s training philosophy as it bridges learning and real practice. Through structured on-the-job training, coaching, mentorship and competency-based learning, learners are able to apply classroom knowledge in real-world care settings while receiving guidance from experienced practitioners. This approach is especially important for mid‑career switchers as they undergo upskilling and reskilling.
As part of its commitment to excellence in workplace learning, SLEC has applied for the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE) Workplace Learning Certification. It is a nationally recognised mark of excellence that recognises organisations with strong, structured workplace learning systems embedded in everyday work to enable continuous skills development, stronger workforce performance, and a culture of lifelong learning.
SLEC has opened a dedicated training facility at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability to expand its capability building efforts. Looking ahead, it aims to equip more than 3,000 individuals across generations over the next three years through approximately 150 training runs.
