Abstract:

This paper seeks to cover the National University of Singapore strategies for continuing education and lifelong learning for its Executive & Administrative (E&A) workforce. The first section explains why and how it was started. Essentially, the Staff Learning and Development (L&D) Programme in the National University of Singapore (NUS) had lacked a good overarching strategy prior to 2019. In alignment with the 2016 Industry Transformation Maps set out by the Singapore Government, NUS took the opportunity to make a paradigm shift to our L&D approach to train our manpower in alignment to national agenda and needs. In 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, NUS undertook the important step of upskilling its 4,300-strong E&A workforce by implementing the Data Literacy Programme (DLP), the first lifelong learning programme rolled out under the remodelled Staff Competency Development Framework.

The second section will detail the challenges faced in the DLP journey and how NUS overcame them. Challenges ranging from the scheduling of the DLP for such a large-scale implementation involving the 4,300 NUS E&A full-time staff; the need to revise and tweak the original plan for the blended learning format when the Singapore 2020 Circuit Breaker was imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic; initial staff resistance to this mandatory DLP, and leaders buy-in; staff diverse demographics, and to even the need to provide staff who do not have notebooks with the proper equipment for their study and engagement during the programme.

The third section will touch on the novel use and design of the DLP curriculum. We shall describe how the creation of a stackable DLP-based Masters was carried out, with the attainment of a Micro-Masters after the completion of 20 units of relevant DLP courses, and a M.Sc. with the add-on of a six-month project with applications to a well-defined workplace related problem. Innovative arrangement to incorporate several DLP Intermediate and Advanced courses as part of an Undergraduate Minor revamp, for the students’ benefit in understanding workplace data problems is detailed. Described as well is the in-progress work to develop and implement continuous education training (CET) programmes for the NUS Alumni and the public, to prepare workers and help them stay industry-relevant for the future.

The fourth section will touch on how the DLP’s andragogical blended learning format has been adapted for the implementation of the 2nd NUS organisational Lifelong Learning programme for E&A staff, the Artificial Intelligence Competency Course (AICC), which started in January 2021. There are also plans to roll out a 3rd organisational Lifelong Learning programme in Design Thinking, following the success of the DLP model.

The last section we will conclude by sharing on the many positive results and outcome of NUS’ efforts in implementing Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning for its Workforce. Post-pandemic, NUS has emerged stronger, with lifelong learning as a key differentiator in its value proposition as an employer, and with its E&A staff better equipped for a digital future.

Keywords:

Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning, Executive & Administrative (E&A) workforce, Staff Learning and Development (L&D), Data Literacy Programme (DLP).