) or https:// as an added precaution.1. Good evening, everyone. It is a pleasure to join you at the Learning Enterprise Alliance Awards Ceremony 2026.
2. Firstly, congratulations to all our award recipients. This evening, you are being recognised for workplace learning efforts, for investing in people, for enhancing both staff and enterprise resilience, for fostering adaptability, and for building capabilities for the long term.
3. We are operating in a period of sustained global uncertainty. Nobody knows how the world is going to look like six months from now, or even six weeks from now. We have geopolitical turbulence; we have shortening technological cycles, and we have Artificial Intelligence reshaping the way we work. Skills are changing faster than ever and must be constantly refreshed and redeployed. The theme of today's event, "Navigating Tomorrow Together", reflects the partnerships that we have to build in order to thrive together in the volatile times we are in.
4. In such an environment, companies must invest in the skills development of their workforce, through workplace learning and through external training programmes.
- When employers invest in employees' training, employees become more productive, they become more innovative, and become more resilient.
- This then helps our companies remain competitive and relevant amidst rapid changes.
5. One way of doing so is through prioritisation of workplace learning, embedded in the flow of work, through which employees can upskill on-the-job and complete daily tasks in parallel. These are hands-on experiences, making it easier for our workers to learn the new knowledge, and apply the new knowledge within the context of the job, increasing productivity and employee engagement.
Strengthening Workplace Learning
6. To strengthen the culture of workplace learning in Singapore, we should focus on three areas: coverage, breadth and intensity, based on the Institute for Adult Learning's (IAL) analysis of data from the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills 2023.
- First, coverage. Singapore's workplace learning participation is strong at 89% of the workforce, but there's still some way behind countries like Switzerland and the USA, where participation is near universal, between 96% to 99%. So, we have to increase our coverage; we have to go further from 89% of our workforce, and hopefully gain another 10%.
- Second, breadth. Participation among professionals, managers and technicians or PMETs is high. It's at 97%, but the participation among non-PMETs trails significantly at 71%, so we have to do more to support these workers, so that everyone, regardless of role, has access to meaningful opportunities to learn, grow, and progress.
- Third, intensity. In countries such as Switzerland, Sweden and the USA, about half of their workers engage in workplace learning at least once a week. Between 46 – 52% of their workers will engage in some form of workplace learning at least once a week. In Singapore, however, only one in three workers (32%) of our workers will engage in workplace once a week, so another area where perhaps we can do more.
7. We need to expand workplace learning to involve more enterprises, reach a wider range of workers and increase the frequency of learning. It is about going for training and also embedding learning in the culture of workplaces.
8. I am very pleased that 28 organisations spanning multiple sectors, including technology, manufacturing and logistics, are taking bold steps to make workplace learning integral to their companies. This evening, the IAL is honouring them with the Learning Enterprise Alliance Awards.
- Many of these companies have also adopted skills-based HR practices, and recognise the value of capabilities demonstrated at the workplace.
9. Let me illustrate this through the story of one of the award winners, Rumah Kim Choo, a home-grown enterprise that seeks to preserve the Peranakan culture.
- Through structured workplace learning customised for the enterprise by IAL's workplace learning consultant, artisans and partners were trained in the "gold standards" of kebaya design and making, from body proportion analysis and colour profiling to the intricate art of sulam embroidery.
- In the process, Rumah Kim Choo also redesigned job roles for staff with potential to move to the front of the house as ambassadors of Peranakan heritage. The staff are now not only technical artisans, but also cultural storytellers.
- By applying new workplace competencies, the team also developed a signature Nyonya Kebaya inspired by the Vanda Miss Joaquim, bridging traditional techniques with Singaporean icons.
- Rumah Kim Choo is an excellent example of how capability-building is not only for the high-tech sector.
Supporting Enterprises in Their Journey
10. For companies that are less mature in workplace learning, IAL has developed the Learning Enterprise Framework, which will help companies identify opportunities to strengthen workplace learning and better apply skills to raise performance. The framework will support businesses in moving beyond training programmes, and towards embedding learning and capability building into work processes, leadership practices and organisational systems of the company.
11. This evening, IAL will also be launching the People-driven Innovation in Enterprises programme. We are growing the PIE through people-driven innovation and enterprises programme. Through PIE, SMEs will be guided over 9 to 12 months to grow their business through their people. Employees will take a leading role in shaping products, services and go-to-market strategies, supported by trained specialists and consultants. This approach shifts leadership from control to trust, positioning the workforce as a source of insight, innovation and strategy, and integrating business transformation with workplace learning.
12. One company that has benefitted from the PIE is Raffles Strata Management. Drawing on insights from IAL's Enterprise Compass (a diagnostic questionnaire that benchmarks enterprises' practices against top-performing SMEs), the property and facilities management company recognised the need to differentiate its offerings to avoid stagnation. Its CEO responded by empowering his team to lead the innovation effort. This was unsettling to his employees initially, but they gradually rose to the challenge. A team led by 34-year-old Security Director, Syaawalnizam Bin Zaaba, went on to co-develop an integrated digital platform, which is being market tested today.
Strengthening the TAE Ecosystem and Advancing AI Capabilities
13. At the same time, we recognise that for fast-moving areas, such as AI, workplace learning may not always be sufficient. In such cases, companies may need to complement on-the-job learning by sending employees for structured training, so that they can build deeper capabilities and keep pace with the latest technological changes.
14. So we have to also strengthen the ecosystem that makes quality learning possible, and this includes uplifting our Training and Adult Education (TAE) sector, and in particular, our adult educators. Adult educators are crucial to the last mile of training delivery. They shape how learning is experienced, applied, and translated into real outcomes at the workplace. If we want to raise the quality and impact of workplace learning, we must invest in our adult educators.
15. That is why the IAL will be working with AI Singapore (AISG) to strengthen AI-related capabilities within the TAE sector, with a focus on developing skilled practitioners, integrating AI knowledge into adult education programmes, and promoting skills-first approaches in workforce development.
16. IAL and AI Singapore will be jointly launching the Adult Education Digital and AI Proficiency Taxonomy. It spells ADAPT, which is what we must all do, adapt.
- ADAPT is a national practitioner framework that establishes clear, scalable pathways for adult educators to advance their digital and AI competencies.
- It sets out practical proficiency levels, so educators can see where they stand in terms of Digital and AI Proficiency, identify gaps and take targeted steps to build their skills through relevant continuing professional development.
17. The framework will enable adult educators to translate digital and AI capabilities into better curriculum design, more effective delivery, and more meaningful assessment. In doing so, we strengthen individual educators, and the entire TAE ecosystem, so that it remains relevant and of high-quality to support the evolving needs of our workforce.
Conclusion
18. The Learning Enterprise Alliance is a community of practice. It brings together enterprise leaders to share experiences, refine approaches, and learn from one another. I am glad that more companies, including SMEs, now view training as a strategic investment to enhance the company's capabilities.
19. Thank you all for your partnership in building a stronger, more resilient, and skills-first economy for Singapore.