In order to actively respond to the call of the ‘Memorandum of Promoting Collaboration on Talent Services in the GBA’ and to deepen the mutual recognition mechanism of the qualifications of professionals in the field of elderly care, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) participated in the ‘One Examination, Multiple Certificates’ Intermediate Pilot Examination for elderly care workers held at Guangzhou Light Industry Technicians' Institute on 28th March.
 
Jointly organised by the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Guangdong Province, the Vocational Training Council of Hong Kong and the Labour Affairs Bureau in Macao, the examination was jointly hosted by the Guangdong Vocational Skills Service Guidance Centre and the Guangzhou Light Industry Technician College. The examination adopts the innovative mode of ‘One Examination, Multiple Certificates’. 12 candidates from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao passed the unified examination and were awarded the Mainland Certificate of Vocational Skills, Hong Kong Certificate of Professional Competence and Macao Certificate of Vocational Skills at the same time, realising the seamless connection of the qualifications of the three places, and taking an important step forward in the mutual recognition of the nursing talents of the Bay Area.
 
KWNC attaches great importance to this pilot scheme. Assistant Professor Lei Wai In, Executive Officer of Nursing & Health Study Centre, and Lecturer Hung Tan were invited to be the assessment experts of the Macao side, and selected three outstanding students to participate in the examination. Among them, Leong Lai U and Fong Hio Ching, students of the Fundamental Health Care Training Programme
, and Chou Hok Hin, a senior student of the Senior Secondary Health Care Programme of the Escola Luso-Chinesa Técnico-Profissional, showed excellent professionalism and practical skills in the examination and passed the examination successfully.
 
Assistant Professor Lei Wai In said that the pilot examination has multiple strategic significance in the face of the challenges of an ageing population in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and the increasing demand for elderly care professionals. Firstly, it establishes a unified assessment standard for elderly care personnel in the three places; secondly, it lays the foundation for the establishment of a cross-boundary elderly care personnel training system; and lastly, it facilitates the in-depth integration of the concepts and technical standards of elderly care services in the three places through practical exchanges. She emphasised that in the process of formulating the assessment standards, the experts from the three places adhered to the principle of ‘seeking common ground while reserving differences’, respecting the characteristics of the systems of the three places while ensuring the fairness and scientificity of the assessment. At the same time, the Macao team also gained an in-depth understanding of the assessment process, examination centre regulations and the characteristics of the candidates in the three places, which has accumulated valuable experience for future co-operation.
 
The examination is based on the National Vocational Skills Standard for Elderly Care Workers and incorporates the advanced assessment methods of Hong Kong and Macao, emphasising the ‘people-oriented’ service concept and the comprehensive quality of safeguarding the physical and mental health of the elderly. Candidates generally reflected that this mode of examination not only helped them to systematically grasp the professional requirements of the three places, but also significantly enhanced their competitiveness and confidence in employment in the Greater Bay Area.