Cultivating a Dynamic and Thriving AE Community, Together

Description

Adult Educators’ Day (AE Day) is organised once a year by IAL to celebrate our AEs and inspire their journeys. This year, the event was held on 12 July at the Central Library. The theme, “Cultivating a Dynamic and Thriving AE Community, Together!”, emphasises the power of collaboration in fostering a vibrant learning environment for both AEs and adult learners.

Let us look at some event highlights

Against the backdrop of changing global economic trends, more organisations are seeing the value of learning and development in supporting organisational growth. As such, IAL has recently launched the Corporate Membership scheme for its Adult Education Network (AEN), where the staff of member corporations can take IAL courses at preferred rates and gain first-hand access to networking events. This brings the total number of members in the Adult Educator network under IAL to over 12,500 members.

AEN fosters unity in diversity with regular engaging activities such as special interest group sessions, lunch time talks, and career advisory conversations. The annual AE Day celebrates this diversity, connecting like-minded individuals from varied backgrounds.
 

This year, IAL organised an “Amazing AE Race”, a fun and interactive activity to celebrate skills and teamwork of our AE participants and put their knowledge and collaboration to test, as they form new bonds of support.
 

Community being the main theme of AE Day 2024, IAL’s Executive Director Associate Professor (Practice) Yeo Li Pheow highlighted the role played by AEs in workforce development, “As the world economy undergoes a significant shift, Singapore's landscape will inevitably transform. In this dynamic environment, adult educators (AEs) remain crucial agents of change. Your dedication ensures our workforce possesses the necessary skills to navigate these coming changes, whether driven by economic trends, climate change, or advancements in artificial intelligence.”

 

Fostering a Vibrant Learning Ecosystem

To support the TAE community, SUSS-IAL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Library Board to provide our educators with unparalleled access to a vast array of educational materials, workshops, and networking opportunities, equipping them with necessary resources to elevate their teaching standards and enhance the impact of their work delivery. The MOU also included joint development of relevant programmes and content, sharing of expertise, joint outreach programmes on adult learning opportunities and resources, and curation of activities such as workshops and talks.

Expert Insights

IAL also convened an expert panel with a Q&A session for a discussion themed “Building Confidence and Fostering Collective Ownership in the TAE Sector.” Panellists compromising Mr Tan Kok Yam, Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore and Chairman of IAL Council, Associate Professor Yeo Li Pheow, and Ms Elinda Gan, Director of Operations, Netatech Engineering Pte Ltd. Engaged in a vibrant discussion that saw AEs posing challenging questions and the panel providing insights from corporate and policymaking perspectives.

In his address at the event, Mr Tan Kok Yam, Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore and Chairman of IAL Council, also appealed to the Adult Educators’ present to constantly upskill themselves to create value for the learner, open new doors for him, raises his worth to the company as an employee. “None of this lofty ambition is achievable without a skilled, competent and dedicated pool of adult educators. You, we, are in the building business, confidence building. Whether it’s someone taking on a leadership role for the first time, or using a new software tool, or transiting to another job role or an altogether different industry, you are there to build his confidence. And more collectively, we are here to build the confidence of the employers, to hire the person who you trained, or to give him different or added responsibility,” he rallied.