Institute for Adult Learning Singapore

11/09/2026

Great teaching and effective facilitation are only part of being an effective Adult Educator (AE). That’s where whitelisted Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes come in, helping you build skills and stay current in your practice.

Through the National Adult Educator (NAE) Registry under the Training and Adult Educator Professional Pathway (TAEPP) framework, AEs can find whitelisted CPD programmes to support their ongoing development, and submit and track their CPD hours.

These programmes are mapped to different Domains and Dimensions, helping you identify the capabilities that align with your goals. This month, we’re spotlighting Domain 2: Professional Development and Growth.

Swipe through to discover the five Dimensions under Domain 2 and identify your next capability to build.

Learn more about the programmes here: https://tinyurl.com/TAEPP-CPD-Programmes

10/09/2026

IAL has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Singtel and its subsidiaries, Nxera SG Pte Ltd and NCS Group Pte Ltd. The MOU was signed by Mr Tan Kok Yam, IAL Council Chairman on behalf of IAL. Through the collaboration, IAL and Singtel will co-develop an integrated work transformation journey for Singtel’s workforce that begins with Mindset Activation, Leadership Skills Mapping and progresses through developing the Skills → Capacity → Optionality → Expressway (SCOPE).

The collaboration will focus on:
- Leadership Behaviour and Skills Mapping Initiative;
- Skills Capacity Pathway;
- Singtel Mindset Activation Playbook; and
- Applied research and insights on workplace learning, skills and AI-enabled transformation.

IAL Executive Director, Assoc Prof (Practice) Terence Ho will also deliver a keynote at Singtel’s BIG Learning Fiesta 2026 on 8 Oct 26, to share his perspectives on culture intelligence in Singapore, AI fluency and adaptive mindsets.

08/09/2026

“Not every learner learns the same way.” As adult educators, we rarely teach a group with the same needs or confidence levels. Learners may differ in how they process information and participate in activities.

By using Universal Design for Learning (UDL), adult educators can design flexible learning experiences that offer different ways to access, participate, and demonstrate learning. This allows learners to engage meaningfully, regardless of their background or learning style.

04/09/2026

As Singapore advances a skills-first and AI-enabled economy, capability building can no longer happen in silos.

Join our latest innovLogue, “Building Capability Ecosystems: How Organisations, Institutes, and Industry Must Co-Create”, to learn how stronger partnerships can support workforce development and adult learning in practice.

Register now: https://bit.ly/4w0RVx1

01/09/2026

Have an idea, solution or learning innovation that could shape the future of adult learning? Don’t miss your chance to make it happen.

IAL’s Innovation Grant Pathways are currently open, with 3 funding opportunities to help you move from idea to action.

💡 Ideation Award – S$5,000
🧪 Incubation Award – S$50,000
🚀 Prototyping Grant – Up to S$150,000

If you missed our recent Applicants Briefing Session, you can still watch the recording, view the presentation slides and apply here: https://tinyurl.com/IAL-innovation-grant-pathways

Applications close 4 Sep 2026, 6:00pm (SGT).

27/08/2026

Over the past year, we have shared about what Skills-First means, what it looks like in practice, and how it can shape the way we recognise, develop and grow the workforce.

Here’s a quick TRUE or FALSE recap of some of the key points we have covered.

At its core, Skills-First puts skills at the centre of how we understand what people can do, identify opportunities for development and support career and workforce growth.

Now, the conversation is moving towards action.

This October, IAL will launch a new "Skills-First Framework for Action" to help individuals and employers put Skills-First into practice.

Stay tuned for more updates.

25/08/2026

As jobs, technology and workplaces continue to evolve, having the right skills is only part of the equation. Workers need to continually develop and adapt their skills, while organisations need to create the conditions for those skills to be put into practice.

In a recent Straits Times commentary, IAL Executive Director, Assoc Prof (Practice) Terence Ho explores what it takes to build a more agile, adaptable and innovative workforce.

He highlights three areas that can help workers and enterprises thrive:

- Nimble and adaptable workers who are ready to learn and grow
- Organisational transformation that activates skills and unlocks workers’ potential
- A refreshed work and learning ecosystem enabled by public policy

Building a future-ready workforce means fostering a culture of continuous learning and skills development, with individuals, employers and the wider ecosystem working together.

Read the full commentary, now republished on the IAL website:

Institute for Adult Learning Singapore

24/08/2026

In an AI-enabled economy, our human edge lies in deep learning, the ability to think critically and apply knowledge creatively.

Yet, IAL research reveals that less than 1 in 3 workers in Singapore are deep learners, while 41% fall into the "defeated" category. Access to training alone does not guarantee equal outcomes.

The solution? A shift in the workplace environment. When employers design roles that encourage experimentation and problem-solving, an employee's internal drive to learn surges by nearly 50%.

It is time to shift from simply counting training hours to driving true workplace impact.

💡 Read the article to discover how we can build a nation of deep learners: https://tinyurl.com/IAL-Deep-Learners

21/08/2026

How do you scale a boutique craft-based business without diluting its heritage? For Rumah Kim Choo, the answer lay in transforming how their people contribute to the business.

They embarked on a Learning Enterprise Alliance project with IAL to redesign their employees' roles from transactional sales staff into knowledgeable "Peranakan Heritage Ambassadors".

Through practical, shop-floor coaching structured around daily constraints, the team built critical storytelling and curation capabilities. This workforce transformation not only elevated employee morale, it unlocked entirely new revenue streams through public cultural workshops, turning workplace learning into a direct driver of sales.

Read the full story: https://tinyurl.com/IAL-Rumah-Kim-Choo

19/08/2026

Are we using AI to work smarter, or letting it replace our critical thinking?

A global study led by IAL's Principal Researcher, Associate Professor Chen Zan, found that while 63.6% of educators use AI to save time, most organisations still lack a clear AI strategy. This creates a gap between individual adoption and institutional support.

Assoc Prof Chen Zan is also one of the editors for the book "Navigating the AI Frontier in Adult Education: International Practices and Perspectives from Adult Learning, Training, and Higher Education". The publication introduces the Co-Intelligence Matrix, a framework for intentional and responsible use of AI to automate routine tasks, augment human expertise, and free people to focus on higher-value work such as creativity, collaboration and decision-making.

Read the book for free and discover how to lead in an AI-driven world: https://tinyurl.com/AI-Frontier-AE