Cape Town, South Africa -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/25/2014 --Oxbridge Academy - a private Further Education and Training (FET) college registered by the Department of Higher Education and Training - urges prospective students to make informed decisions regarding the outcomes of the courses that they enrol for and to make sure that the requirements of their intended profession are outlined in the relevant course.

This is in response to a statement in which the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) implicated the college by warning students against “studying at unaccredited institutions”, creating the inference that Oxbridge Academy is in fact not a registered institution. Such an inference is factually inaccurate and could have been avoided if Oxbridge Academy had been contacted for comment.

Like most colleges in South Africa, Oxbridge Academy offers accredited and non-accredited courses. We are clear in our descriptions as to the purpose and status of each course, as well as the accreditations it has. These are communicated openly on our website and in the registration material students receive. This material does not in any way mislead students, nor does it claim to offer professional qualifications for which the college is not accredited.

The HPCSA also warned that Oxbridge Academy is not accredited by the professional board to offer dental practice assistant training with reference to a position as a dentist’s chair assistant. However, the course in question is plainly described as teaching students the skills needed to apply for a position in the reception area of a dental practice and performing administrative duties. The course information is also clear on the fact that it is not a qualification that leads to the HPCSA’s dentist’s chair assistant registration.

Oxbridge Academy supports the view that non-accredited courses should not be confused or compared with accredited learning, as they are seldom directed at the achievement of similar objectives. FET courses are vocational or occupational by nature, meaning that the student receives education and training with a view towards a specific range of jobs or employment possibilities.

About Oxbridge Academy
Oxbridge Academy (http://oxbridgeacademy.co.za) is a respected private educational college (FET), founded in 1997, that teaches through distance learning in South Africa, as well as abroad. The college operates throughout the Southern African region and can be contacted at "Oxbridge Academy, 34 Rokewood Avenue, Stellenbosch, 7613, Cape Town, South Africa, +27 21 883 2454"