Employer Advisory Kit for WPLN Credentialing - WDA

Employer Advisory Kit for WPLN Credentialing
Prepared by
Generic Skills Development Division (GSDD)
This advisory kit will guide employers in selecting an appropriate WPLN level to use
as an alternative to the current job entry requirements used in recruiting new employees for
their companies.
Employers can select an appropriate WPLN level as the job entry requirement based
on one of the following three ways:
A. Comparison with academic qualifications
B. Reference to what other employers are using for similar job positions
C. By the level of personal interaction and independence required in a job position
The three ways are explained below. A more detailed report on the process and
analysis of these benchmarks is provided in the NARIC report 1 , which is downloadable at
www/wda.gov.sg/wsq/NARICFullReport
A. Comparison with academic qualifications
If employers are currently using academic qualifications such as Primary or
Secondary education, or GCE O level pass in English and/or Mathematics as job entry
requirements, they could refer to Table 1 to establish an alternative qualification using WPLN
levels.
Table 1 shows the mapping of the WPLN proficiency levels with GCE N/O Level as
well as IELTS 2 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,
employers using GCE N/O Level qualifications for job entry requirements could consider
using WPLN level 5 as an alternative.
Table 1 Mapping of WPLN Proficiency Levels with GCE N & O levels and IELTS
WPLN Proficiency Level GCE N/O Level IELTS
8-9
7-8
8
6-7
7
6
5
4
Secondary with N/O Level pass
Secondary without N/O Level pass
5-6
4-5
3 3-4
2
1
1 The NARIC Report is a report by UK NARIC to benchmark WPLN against national and international
standards. UK NARIC is a British national agency responsible for providing advice and expert opinion on
vocational, academic and professional skills and qualifications worldwide (www.naric.org.uk).
2 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 (http://www.ielts.org).
Copyright 2009 @ Singapore Workforce Development Agency. All rights reserved. 1

B. Reference to what other employers are using for similar job positions
Employers could also refer to Table 2 below to find out what WPLN levels the 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 Positions O Level/Diploma 5
Administrative Positions 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 Primary 3
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 Positions O Level/Diploma 5
Copyright 2009 @ Singapore Workforce Development Agency. All rights reserved. 2

Merchandising Clerk O Level/Diploma 5
Medical Registration Officer/Executive Diploma/Degree 7
Operating Theatre Assistant 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
Programme/Project Executive O Level/Diploma 6
Project Managerial Positions 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 Positions Secondary 4
Supermarket Staff Secondary 4
Supervisory Positions O Level/NITEC 5
Technician O Level/NITEC 4
Telemarketer Secondary 2
Temp Administrative Positions 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
Copyright 2009 @ Singapore Workforce Development Agency. All rights reserved. 3

C. By the level of personal interaction and independence required in a job position
Employers could also select an appropriate WPLN level for job entry requirement by
the level of personal interaction and independence required in a job position. It is noted that
the WPLN level required for a job position is usually proportionate to the amount of personal
interaction as well as the independence required of the job role. Table 3 below shows the
WPLN level other employers have adopted for each job position in relation to the required
level of personal interaction and independence. Employers could refer to it as a guide to
determine the WPLN level used as alternative job entry requirement.
Table 3 The WPLN Levels accepted in relation to the level of personal interaction and
independence required in specific job positions
If you are interested in ES or the WPLN credentialing project, you can contact WDA at
6883 5885, or email wda_ess_enquiry@wda.gov.sg for more information.
Copyright 2009 @ Singapore Workforce Development Agency. All rights reserved. 4