By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Oct. 11, GNA- The management of Wisconsin International University College, Ghana, says the dream of the Institution is to assist Ghana’s professionals in the healthcare sector to become a beacon for best practices in healthcare across Africa.
That, the University said, would enable Ghana to build on its strengths, build expertise and deepen its knowledge base to offer quality healthcare in the country and beyond.
Dr Charles Acheampong, the Director of the Wisconsin Centre for Professional Studies, said this on Tuesday at the launch of the University’s first paper-based Occupational English Test (OET) centre, located at the Accra campus of the University.
The OET is an international test that assesses the English Language and clinical communication skills of healthcare professionals who seek to register and work in an English-speaking country.
The test will be made up of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
He said the University had collaborated with its partners in the United States to establish a Neurodiagnostic Centre for testing patients with various mental problems.
Dr Acheampong said the OET Centre was equipped with modern facilities required by the OET standards and would start on November 19, 2022.
He said there were plans for the University to open Centres in other locations such as Kumasi to get closer to its potential customers.
He said the University was determined to move out of the traditional University setting to respond to the needs of Ghanaian society.
“Unlike the computer-based tests done in other Centres, our Centre will be paper-based, leaving full control of the test in the hands of the candidates,” he said.
Professor Obeng Mireku, the President of the University, said the University in 2020, began the application process with Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment and signed a bilateral agreement in September 2022 to approve the OET Centre at the Accra campus.
The initiative, Prof Mireku said was in line with the University’s mission to develop world-class human resources equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to meet national development needs and global challenges.
The United States is the latest country, amongst others, to recruit healthcare professionals with OET certificates in English proficiency.
Mr Philimon Gyapong, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, commended the University for being the first to start the programme and pledged the Association’s support to the University.
GNA