National Cancer Centre Singapore

National Cancer Centre Singapore’s Journey with IAL 

Every patient interaction shapes the care experience, especially in moments of uncertainty and vulnerability. At the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), delivering excellent cancer care goes beyond clinical expertise. It depends on confident, capable frontline teams who support patients with clarity, compassion, and professionalism at every step of their journey. 

Recognised as Singapore’s national specialty centre for cancer care, NCCS continuously invests in building workforce capability to meet rising demand and increasing complexity in healthcare delivery. One area identified for focused attention was the onboarding and On-the-Job (OJT) training of Patient Service Associates (PSAs), who play a critical role in supporting patients through registration, appointments, and care coordination. 

The Challenge: Ensuring Consistency in a Growing Healthcare Environment 

Consistency, confidence, and competence are essential in a fast-paced clinical setting. While training materials and practices were already in place at NCCS, onboarding experiences varied across teams. Preceptors often relied on individual approaches to training, leading to differences in how new PSAs learned critical tasks and navigated their roles. 

Operational demands further constrained the ability of line managers and preceptors to deliver structured, consistent training. Without a shared framework or common reference materials, training outcomes depend heavily on individual experience and availability. NCCS recognised that a more systematic approach to workplace learning was needed, one that would support staff performance, strengthen engagement, and ultimately enhance the patient experience. 

The Intervention: Co‑Creating a Structured On‑the‑Job Training System 

To address these challenges, NCCS partnered with the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) through the Learning Enterprise Alliance (LEA) in 2025. The collaboration focused on building a structured, practical, and sustainable OJT system tailored to NCCS’s operational context. 

The project began with a detailed diagnosis of existing onboarding and OJT practices, incorporating interviews, document reviews, surveys, and workplace observations. Insights from PSAs, preceptors, and line managers informed the design of a structured OJT framework that could be applied consistently across teams. 

Working closely with NCCS leaders and project champions, IAL supported the co-creation of standardised OJT guides, checklists, and assessment tools. Central to the approach was the DEPAF framework, Demonstration, Explanation with Demonstration, Practice, Assessment, and Follow-up, which equipped preceptors with a clear, repeatable method for coaching new staff effectively. 

Initial implementation focused on clinic registration for first visit patients, ensuring that PSAs were trained through clear step-by-step guidance supported by accessible reference materials. Train-the-Trainer workshops further strengthened internal capability, enabling NCCS to sustain and extend the approach beyond the pilot phase. 

The Impact: Building Confidence, Capability, and Consistency 

The structured OJT system delivered tangible improvements in training quality and staff experience. Feedback gathered during the evaluation phase highlighted strong outcomes across multiple stakeholder groups: 

• 75% positive feedback from PSAs on their onboarding experience 

• 75% positive feedback from line managers, team leaders, and preceptors on the structured OJT system and materials 

• 75% positive feedback from the project team on overall project outcomes 

• 100 employees impacted through the initiative 

Beyond the metrics, the project strengthened confidence among preceptors and team leaders, providing them with clearer guidance and tools to support new staff. Patient Service Associates benefited from a more structured and supportive learning journey, helping them build competence and confidence more quickly in their roles. 

Reflecting on the partnership, NCCS’s Chief Operating Officer, Mr Chong Pang Boon shared: 

“The LEA affirms our commitment to continuously upgrade the skills and knowledge of our workforce that is critical to our pursuit of excellence in delivering care to our patients.” 

Sustaining Learning for the Future 

The value of the initiative extends beyond a single training programme. NCCS now has the internal capability to refine and expand its structured OJT system across other clinical processes. Plans include consolidating learning resources into an OJT toolkit, further fine‑tuning training materials based on feedback, and continuing to develop OJT guides for additional operational areas. 

Project champions and team members also highlighted the deeper impact of the journey. The collaboration strengthened shared ownership of learning and reinforced the importance of PSAs in shaping the patient experience. More importantly, it established a strong foundation for continuous improvement in workplace learning. 

A Partnership Anchored in Purpose 

The NCCS–IAL partnership demonstrates how structured workplace learning can directly support operational excellence, staff engagement, and patient centred care in complex healthcare environments. By investing in people and building capability from within, NCCS has taken a meaningful step toward ensuring that every patient interaction is supported by confident, capable, and well-trained professionals. 

Looking to strengthen workplace learning in your organisation? 

Discover how partnering with IAL can help you build structured, sustainable capability that drives performance and supports your people. Explore how we work with organisations like NCCS to translate strategy into sustainable workforce impact, and how you can too.