Traineeship (APO, Centre-based Care and Social Support) [GRIT@Gov]

The GRaduate Industry Traineeship Programme within the Public Service (GRIT@Gov) aims to provide fresh graduates with opportunities to gain industry-relevant skills and experience that can strengthen their employability to take up full time roles in the sector. By 2030, almost a million Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above, and there will be an increased demand for aged care services including Senior Care Centres (SCCs) and Active Ageing Centres (AACs). To reduce social isolation and delay cognitive and physical frailty among seniors, MOH has expanded the number of AACs aggressively to support seniors and improved the capacity and utilisation of SCC services. The latter serve a subsegment of seniors who need assistance in activities of daily living (ADL) and rehabilitation to regain functional ability. However, the experience on the ground at AACs and SCCs may be varied. Some AACs have managed to attract many seniors to their centres and created a lively environment for seniors, while other AACs may not have been as successful in outreaching to seniors. Different SCCs may have varying services which may not fully address the emerging needs of seniors. The Centre-Based Care & Social Support (CCSS) team (in the Ageing Planning Office at the Ministry of Health) oversees the overall strategy, policy, resourcing and governance for AAC and SCC services. The end goal is to enable seniors to remain well and socially engaged in the community and ensure service providers are uplifted to play such roles to support our seniors. Through this traineeship, the trainee can expect to develop key competencies such as systems and critical thinking, stakeholder management, and would have the opportunity to gain knowledge of the healthcare and community care landscape.

As a Trainee with the Ageing Planning Office, you will play a pivotal role in shaping national policies and programmes to address the unique challenges posed by Singapore’s ageing population. Our team’s mission is to enable our seniors to age actively and healthily in the community.  You will be part of our team that leads the delivery of policy frameworks for centre-based services. • Collaborate closely with key stakeholders such as Agency for Integrated Care to deliver on national priorities pertaining to centre-based services. • Manage the translation of policy to operations and implementation with key stakeholders. This would include working on infrastructure policy-ops issues, developing processes to tighten the policy-operations nexus, and the management of financial processes. • You will be working in a fast-paced and highly dynamic environment that would require the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders at the same time.

Key Competencies Required: • Thinking Clearly & Making Sound Judgements – Possess strong analytical and critical thinking abilities to support the crafting of sound policy recommendations; demonstrate ability to grasp operating context and ground realities. • Learning & Putting Skills into Action - Possess the drive and curiosity to learn and apply new skills, knowledge and new ways of working. • Improving & Innovating – Seek continual improvements, and look to innovate and experiment while managing the risks involved. • Working Effectively with Stakeholders – Mobilise and rally partners and stakeholders towards a collective purpose. Relevant Experience and Personal Behaviours • Degree in any discipline • Some familiarity with the community care sector and public service welcome, but not mandatory • We are looking for a candidate who is motivated, resilient, and a team-player