SINGAPORE - Educators teaching SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)-supported courses for adult learning will soon be required to clock practice hours and undergo regular training, in a move to raise the quality of training, said Education Minister Desmond Lee on July 7.

Speaking at the opening forum of the annual SkillsFuture Festival held at Raffles City Convention Centre , Mr Lee announced a new Training and Adult Educator Professional Pathway that will mandate continual training for educators to stay registered.

From April 1, 2026, those who wish to conduct SSG-supported courses must be on the registry. To stay registered , they must complete at least 40 Continuing Professional Development hours and 80 practice hours every two years.

This will ensure that adult educators continue to upgrade , and keep up with industry developments and new training methods, Mr Lee said.

Currently, they only have to complete a certification programme by the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), said Mr Lee, but this one-off certification will not be enough.

“Under this new pathway, we will introduce a requirement for adult educators to continually upgrade themselves and clock practice hours, in order to remain registered as educators for SSG-supported courses,” he said.

Apart from ensuring the quality of adult educators, the aim is also to bring in more practitioners directly from the industry, said Mr Lee, as they have the necessary knowledge and experience.

“As such, we will offer more entry pathways for expert practitioners from the industry in certain selected professional sectors to be recognised and certified as adult educators,” he said, and SSG will first work with leaders in the legal and healthcare sectors to identify experts in their fields, to nominate them as adult educators.

IAL will work with NTUC, through the Education Services Union, to support educators during this transition period.

SkillsFuture Festival 2025 is jointly organised by SSG and Lifelong Learning Institute, and will run from July 7 to July 18. During the festival, Singaporeans can visit various roadshows, job fairs, and attend learning events held at venues across the island.

The SkillsFuture movement is also celebrating its 10th year, said Mr Lee, but the journey is “far from over”.

Currently, over half a million people, or one-fifth of the workforce, take up SSG-supported courses each year. The number of employers sending their employees for training has doubled from 12,000 in 2018 to 24,000 in 2024, he said.

But these foundations must be built on, he said.

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“Increasing training participation is not an end-goal in itself. Training has to lead to good social and economic outcomes for Singaporeans and for our country,” he said, as he announced three key shifts for the next phase of the SkillsFuture movement.

Aside from measures to improve the quality of adult educators, Mr Lee laid out plans to strengthen employers’ commitment to training, and more support for individuals as they take ownership of their upskilling.

More support will be given to employers as SSG continues to grow its SkillsFuture queen bee companies to drive training in their sectors, said Mr Lee.

“We understand that some employers worry that their employees may choose to leave them for other companies after building up their skills with their current employer’s support,” he said.

“While this worry is natural, we must remember that this goes beyond firms losing out.”

“Everyone will be worse off if we do not build up our human capital and our resilience as a nation,” he said.

He introduced the newest queen bee, UOB, which will focus on skills development in artificial intelligence, digitalisation and sustainability, as part of this three-year appointment. More than 200 small-medium enterprises and 800 of their employees stand to benefit from the bank’s t raining programmes, funding, and mentorship.

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Queen bee companies refer to firm that provide industry-relevant training and training advisory, and include Sembcorp, Raffles Hotel Singapore, and CapitaLand. Currently, there are 35 queen bees that provide training to over 5,700 companies, Mr Lee said.

Singaporeans will also get more support in their career and skills development with a new advisory centre in the Lifelong Learning Institute building in Paya Lebar, Mr Lee said.

He added that the centre will provide career guidance, job insights and opportunities for industry exposure, while the institute will organise more sector-based workshops.

“I encourage everyone to actively tap on these opportunities and tap on the support provided to equip ourselves to stay agile and relevant,” Mr Lee said.

The continued success of SkillsFuture depends on everyone playing their part, he said. “If we can work together, I am confident that Singapore and Singaporeans, and our firms, will continue to thrive, and overcome any uncertainties and challenges in the years ahead.”