Kore Group opens Healthmark Training Centre in Dubai to bring the best talent to Malta

The Kore Group, a joint venture between the db Group and JCL Holdings Limited, has launched the Healthmark Training Centre in Dubai as part of its efforts to attract the best talent to Malta.

For the past seven years, the Group has been recruiting healthcare staff hailing from various countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, and India in order to meet the local demand. The establishment of the Dubai Training Centre is a testament to the Group’s dedication to provide employees with evidence-based training and to anticipate and address any clinical and cultural gaps. This level of support ensures they are competent and well-prepared for their roles.

“The launch of the Healthmark Training Centre in Dubai marks a significant milestone in our journey. We are deeply committed to ensure that our staff receives the best training, skills and knowledge they need to provide exceptional care. This will be the heart and soul of this centre,” said CEO Charlotte Sant Portanier.

“Malta is competing with many other countries for the same talent. To ensure we have a steady flow of the right complement of carers and nurses for our hospitals and care homes, it is essential that we upgrade the way we source, train and deploy talent on a constant basis. That is what we are doing here,” Sant Portanier added.

Located in the heart of Dubai Silicon Oasis, the training centre includes a training room, a hospital simulation room equipped with cutting-edge medical equipment, offices, meeting rooms, and a recreation area.

Designed to support the Group’s recruitment and training initiatives for its operations in Malta, the centre aims to empower international staff with the necessary training to ensure they meet the rigorous quality and standard requirements for a career in caring in Europe.

The training centre offers a comprehensive curriculum, including:

• Role and responsibilities of care workers
• Safeguarding vulnerable patients
• Care planning and its significance
• Effective communication techniques
• Principles of care, confidentiality, and consent
• Handling patients with dementia
• Safe lifting and handling practices
• Infection control practices
• Food handling and hygiene.

The Kore Group is also planning to expand its educational initiatives with the launch of the Healthmark Academy in San Gwann, Malta.

Strategically located to serve the local community, the academy will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including lecture rooms, a seminar hall, an applied nutrition lab, a hospital simulation lab with advanced medical equipment, private offices, and a recreation area.

The Academy’s affiliation with Pearson (UK) and BELS English Language School (Malta) will ensure that students receive internationally-recognised training. The academy will offer a range of courses, including the Pearson BTEC International Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care, Pearson BTEC International Diploma Level 2, and IELTS English Certification.

About Kore Group

The Kore Group was established in 2006 as a joint venture between the db Group and JCL Holdings Limited. The db Group was founded by Silvio Debono in 1984 and over four decades has grown from a family-run business into Malta’s foremost corporate player in tourism, hospitality and leisure, and property development. JCL Holdings was set up in 1989 by James Barbara and is today one of the largest and most renowned catering companies in Malta with state-of-the art food production facilities.

The Kore Group started off operating in the contract catering market, producing and supplying meals for Sky Gourmet and the state hospitals in Malta. Over the years, the Group ventured into health and social care services, with the key objective to supply healthcare workers to public hospitals and clinics, as well as to provide home care and support services. The Group’s service offering was eventually expanded to include domiciliary care for the elderly, setting up and managing of numerous homes for the elderly across Malta and Gozo.

Today the Kore Group continues to be the leader in producing and supplying more than 9,000 meals per day to hospitals and nursing homes, the leader in producing and supplying a choice of meals to the local aviation industry. It also operates the largest private healthcare service in Malta.

The Group today employs over 4,000 employees across a range of operations.