Mount Kenya University To Train Healthcare Assistant for German Hospitals

Equip Africa Institute, an affiliate of Mount Kenya University, has launched a programme that will train Kenyans as Healthcare Assistants for German Hospitals starting January 2023.

The programme, dubbed Certificate in Healthcare Assistant for German Hospitals, will be offered in Mount Kenya University Main Campus, Thika and Mombasa Campuses.

The Certificate course will take two semesters of 14 weeks each. Upon completion, the graduates will be offered a guaranteed Nursing Apprenticeship in partnership with German hospitals, according to the management.

“Candidates will be selected based on High School Grades, and German Language Skills and will be required to undergo an Aptitude Test,” Mount Kenya University management said.

Those wishing to join the programme will be required to have Kenya Certificate of Secondary Educatįon (KCSE) C+ (Plus), German language level B2-proficiency(Zertifikat B2) and pass in Aptitude test administered by the German partner organization.

Kenya Certificate of Secondary Educatįon (KCSE) qualifications below (KCSE) C+ (Plus) will be considered based on German language proficiency.

The university, in partnership with German’s Hochschule Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, enrolled 52 Students for German Language A1 on November 1, 2022.

“We are currently enrolling the student for January 2023 intake,” Mount Kenya University said.

According to Hochschule Koblenz University, the German labour market is increasingly characterised by a widespread scarcity of qualified labour. The nursing profession is one of the sectors most heavily afflicted by labour shortages. Different studies predict a shortfall of up to 500,000 nurses in Germany by the year 2030.

Over a period of six to 20 months, depending on prior German language skills, German as a foreign language will be taught to a level of B2-profiency as well as courses on German culture. In addition, students will receive a course in Basic Nursing Skills. Students will pay tuition fees similar to other certificate courses.

“Upon qualifying for the apprenticeship in Germany, students will enjoy the benefit of getting a student visa, salary and a guarantee of full-time employment after completing their training. For the training in Germany, students are not charged any tuition fee but are entitled to get a working contract for the training with a monthly salary to cater for the basic needs and accommodation. Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, students are guaranteed full-time employment in German hospitals exposing them to excellent career opportunities among other benefits,” added the university.

Other partners in the project include AG Career Hub and African Nurses/Pfleger in Germany.

AG-Career Hub is an information and consulting hub offering career and business opportunities in Germany and Africa. The initiative was developed by Kenyan professionals who trained and worked in Germany with the goal of supporting students and young professionals during their career and business paths.

On the other hand, African Nurses/Pfleger in Germany is a network with over 2000 African nurses in Germany. The network is a self-help group for nurses where they exchange information about the German healthcare system, students seek help during their training, and topics like work-life balance and mentors are also offered on the network.

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