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FirstCom Academy suspended for 3 months for non-compliance with SkillsFuture guidelines

FirstCom Academy suspended for 3 months for non-compliance with SkillsFuture guidelines

SINGAPORE: Education provider FirstCom Academy has been suspended for three months for failing to comply with rules set by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

This comes amid job cuts at the company, which focuses on short Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses, from digital content creation to social media marketing.

In a statement on Wednesday, SSG said it had been investigating FirstCom Academy’s marketing practices and course quality since the beginning of this year after receiving feedback from the public.

FirstCom Academy will be suspended from 1 January 2025 until 31 March 2025 due to “concerns regarding the use of a referral program for marketing purposes that does not comply with SSG’s requirements for training providers.”

FirstCom Academy, which operates four training centers in Paya Lebar, Woodlands, Chinatown and Tiong Bahru, is unable to start WSQ courses during the suspension.

SSG also said it would suspend funding subsidies for all courses starting at FirstCom Academy within this three-month period. This means these courses will not be eligible for government course fee subsidies or SkillsFuture Credit.

SSG will also discontinue two of the training provider’s WSQ courses due to “deficiencies in ensuring course quality”.

According to SSG’s website, the WSQ is a national qualification system that “trains, develops, assesses and certifies the skills and competencies of the workforce.”

SSG said students whose courses have started or will start before the suspension period will not be affected, even if their courses finish within these three months.

Those who have not started their courses and do not wish to continue with FirstCom Academy can contact the company to make alternative arrangements. They can also apply to SSG for similar courses offered by other training providers registered with SSG.

It is the responsibility of FirstCom Academy to inform affected students that they will not receive funding subsidies for their courses and will not receive the WSQ Statement of Attainment, which is issued upon completion of each WSQ course.

“FirstCom Academy should use this time to improve practices and standards around marketing processes and course delivery,” SSG said, adding that it would not hesitate to take action against training providers found to be abusing marketing.

A check by CNA showed that FirstCom Academy posted an announcement on its website following the suspension.

“To ensure a better learning experience, our WSQ course curriculum will undergo an improvement process in the first quarter of 2025. Please note that there will be no WSQ courses and course funding during this period (January 1 – March 31),” he said.