The Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF), a national-level research fund offered by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), aims to foster high quality and rigorous applied research in workforce development and lifelong learning to support the SkillsFuture Singapore's key thrusts and national-level policies. It encourages inter-disciplinary research and seeks to strengthen research capabilities, through leveraging both local and international expertise. The WDARF Grant Call is administered by the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) on behalf of the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). The grant is awarded through an open, competitive bidding approach, where submitted proposals go through a technical expert review and evaluation, before they are presented to a Research Committee for approval.
Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF) 2025 Grant Call
The WDARF 2025 Grant Call is now closed for Expression of Interest (EOI) submission.
Previous Result
Grant Call 2017
A Blended Learning Course through Academic Practice Partnership to Enhance Workplace Clinical Teaching and Learning
Associate Professor Liaw Sok Ying, National University of Singapore
The research seeks to inform professional development of clinical nurses who are critical in facilitating nursing students’ learning at work in the clinical setting. The study will explore the experiences of clinical nurses and academic educators in supporting workplace clinical teaching and learning, and examine the effects of a blended learning course to enhance workplace clinical teaching and learning. The outcomes can therefore contribute to developing a successful partnership model of best practices between healthcare workplace and academic institutions.
Grant Call 2017
Aligning the Polytechnic Provision of CET with SkillsFuture: Meeting Learners' and Employers' Needs
Professor Stephen Billett (Griffith University) and Dr Anthony Leow, Republic Polytechnic
Against the backdrop of the SkillsFuture national movement to promote skills mastery and lifelong learning, the research seeks to identify and address gaps in existing educational provisions and capacities of teachers in the post-secondary education institutions (PSEIs) for employability-related continuing education and training (CET) across the Singaporean workforce. It also investigates CET educators’ viewpoints and their teaching practices by examining (i) their perspectives regarding the facilitators and barriers to CET teaching and learning, and (ii) how their professional development in the CET terrain can be realised. By investigating the CET experience from aspects of both students and CET educators in the teaching-learning partnership, the study can potentially illuminate the personal, professional and organisational dimensions of the CET experience.
Grant Call 2017
An Investigation of Pedagogical Approaches in the Acquisition of Language for Low-Waged, Low-Skilled Adult Learners of English
Professor Annabel SH Chen, Nanyang Technological University
The research seeks to inform professional development of clinical nurses who are critical in facilitating nursing students’ learning at work in the clinical setting. The study will explore the experiences of clinical nurses and academic educators in supporting workplace clinical teaching and learning, and examine the effects of a blended learning course to enhance workplace clinical teaching and learning. The outcomes can therefore contribute to developing a successful partnership model of best practices between healthcare workplace and academic institutions.
Grant Call 2017
Leveraging Leadership to Sustain the Dynamic Professional Development and Identities of Preschool Teachers: The Case for Knowledge Building Community
Professor David Hung, National Institute of Education (NIE) at the Nanyang Technological University
The research seeks to create a sustainable professional development (PD) model that embeds the design of collaboration, ownership of learning, and leadership into the professional development experiences of preschool teachers. Building upon a Knowledge Building Community (KBC) could potentially support an informal, organically-evolving and self-sustaining network for professional development, while addressing the lack of sustained professional practices. The study hopes to address preschool teachers’ epistemic beliefs (i.e. beliefs about the ways in which people learn, the assumptions that learners hold about the nature of knowledge, and the process of knowledge acquisition) through the KBC which integrates ICT learning.
Grant Call 2017
Understanding and Promoting Work Skill Learning Among Lower-Income Employees
Associate Professor Marko Pitesa, Singapore Management University
The research seeks to understand how the learning of new work skills can be promoted amongst lower-income workers. It will also test novel, cost-effective, and scalable interventions that can help lower-income workers learn new work skills. The designed interventions will be implemented in local organisations through a randomised controlled trial to reveal which approaches produce the most benefit for low-income workers and their organisations.
