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Mr Foo Piao Zhou, Group Director, Training Partners Group, SkillsFuture Singapore,
Mr Harry Lee, President, Education Services Union Executive Council,
Associate Professor (Practice) Yeo Li Pheow, Executive Director, Institute for Adult Learning,
Fellow Adult Educators
1. A very good afternoon. Thank you for joining us at today’s event where we celebrate our Adult Educators.
2. The theme for this year's Adult Educators’ Day 2025 is Professionalising the Role of an Adult Educator. This is timely and important. It reflects our shared commitment to raising standards, strengthening recognition and affirming the vital role you play in Singapore’s lifelong learning movement.
Professional Pathway and CPD
3. Earlier in July, at the SkillsFuture Learning Festival Forum 2025, SingaporeFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) announced a major step forward – the establishment of the Training and Adult Educator Professional Pathway, or TAEPP. From 1 April 2026, adult educators delivering SSG-supported training will be required to complete at least 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and 80 practice hours every two years.
4. This is a significant milestone for professionals in the Teaching and Adult Education sector. Like other professions, adult educators will now have a clear professional framework to keep skills current and knowledge relevant, enabling us to excel and maintain trust in our practice.
5. As Singapore continues to emphasise lifelong learning as a cornerstone of our economy, we need to grow a strong and future-ready community of adult educators. You form the backbone of our efforts to build resilience and adaptability in our workforce.
6. By ensuring our educators are up-to-date in both practice and industry knowledge, TAEPP strengthens the SkillsFuture movement and enhances the quality of adult learning. Learners will benefit from relevant, high-quality training delivered by professional educators, while employers can rely on a robust and trusted training ecosystem to meet evolving workforce needs.
Soft Launch of National Adult Educator Registry
7. Since the announcement, we have held several large scale engagement sessions with the TAE community and our stakeholders to address questions and to listen to feedback. We hope these sessions have provided some clarity, though we also understand that more time may be needed to adjust to the new system. I am happy to share that the National Adult Educator Registry under the TAEPP framework will be made available earlier with a soft launch on 1 October. This means Adult Education professionals can start registering six months ahead of the official launch. My colleague, Dr Samson Tan who heads IAL’s Learning & Professional Development Division will be sharing more about the new TAEPP framework with you later. We would encourage you to sign up early for a smooth onboarding process.
People at the Core of Adult Education
8. At the heart of adult education are the people. We want to take this opportunity to recognise your contributions, not only to your learners, but also to your own professional growth, often amidst demanding professional schedules.
9. Investing in ourselves is key to professional relevance and resilience. In a fast-changing world, continual self-improvement equips us to adapt, innovate, and remain effective. For adult educators, committing to ongoing learning enhances both confidence and competence, preparing us to embrace new methods, technologies, and expectations. Ultimately, lifelong development benefits not just the educator, but also learners, organisations and communities.
10. Take for example, Dr Eunice Lim, an adjunct Adult Educator with IAL. Eunice began her career in market research, operations and administration but found her calling in adult education some 15 years ago. Her journey since then reflects a relentless pursuit of knowledge and commitment to excellence – constantly upskilling in the area of adult education. Over the years, she engaged in continuing development to stay updated on curriculum design, learning facilitation, workplace learning, tech enabled learning, and generative AI, to name a few. In 2021, she received the SkillsFuture Fellowship award, recognising her skills mastery and potential to mentor future talents. But she did not rest on her laurels. She recently completed her PhD on social connectedness in an online learning environment, an area close to her heart and relevant in today’s evolving learning landscape.
11. For Eunice, learning is not just a professional necessity but a habit that keeps her and other adult educators adaptable, future-ready, and able to deliver meaningful, practical learning experiences.
Recognising Adult Educators
12. As we seek to build a community of professionals, I would like to take the opportunity to recognise our AEP holders and Special Interest Group Chairs. As we look ahead, your passion and commitment remain central to the continued professionalisation of adult education, especially in this next phase of our journey. Together, let us shape a profession that is respected, future-ready, and impactful.
13. Thank you again, and I wish you an inspiring afternoon ahead.