Free online courses open for domestic service personnel

An agreement was recently signed on the use of courses related to the professional ethics and competence of domestic service workers to further facilitate the group's access to free online training.

The signing ceremony was held at Open University of China in Beijing last week, gathering more than 100 participants from domestic service associations and companies, universities offering related programs, and nearly 70 domestic service trainers, according to the university, which was the organizer.

The Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services of the Commerce Ministry and Open University of China signed the agreement, allowing domestic service personnel nationwide to attend free online courses provided by the university.

A total of 840 hours of training courses about professional skills were launched last year and 230 hours of courses about professional ethics and competence will be launched on the ministry's national domestic service credit and information platform, the university said.

Liu Ming, director of the Department of Social Development at National Development and Reform Commission, said the commission has been promoting the expansion and quality of the domestic service industry.

"The focus is on improving the quality of home services through in-depth integration of production and education, addressing structural contradictions between supply and demand, and strengthening both professional skills and ethical training for domestic service workers," Liu said.

Li Yingli, deputy director of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education of the Education Ministry, said the ministry encourages collaboration between domestic service enterprises and universities and vocational schools to develop programs that enhance both academic qualifications and job skills, providing more learning opportunities and better development platforms for domestic service workers.

Not only domestic service workers, the launch of these course is also expected to benefit other people who want to engage in the service sector.

Yang Huan used to be a nurse of an Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in Beijing. She had a particular interest in baby care and thought of changing her career to become a professional baby carer.

"In the past, sometimes I took care of more than 10 babies at the same time. I want to have more professional knowledge in baby care and do a better job," she said.

She came across the courses provided by the open university on the internet and signed up for the program.

"The courses are comprehensive, systematic and easy to understand. There will be tests for each section so that I can understand the knowledge better before practicing it," Yang said.

It is noted that domestic service workers who complete the online courses and pass the exams will receive training certificates from the Open University of China. Their training hours and records will be incorporated into their domestic service credit information files.

Workers can also participate in the university's learning system, combining online and offline theoretical and skills training. The credits can be converted by the university, allowing workers to achieve improvements in both vocational skills and academic qualifications, the university said.

Li Ren contributed to this story.