Dear Lifelong Learning friends,

Time flies. Many of you were with us when Human Capital Singapore took the first step towards an uncharted journey of lifelong learning in Singapore ten years ago. Together, we painstakingly crafted an unusual, and I daresay, unique, learning community of “blended” students; marinating our experiences on the job with classroom theory.

We came from all walks of life and all manner of professions – from fresh-faced job entrants to line managers, executives and C-suite managing directors, CEOs and company patriarchs.

You sacrificed valuable, after-work hours with friends and loved ones to soldier on, knowing that the journey would be worth it. You saw how important this lifelong marathon was and reaped the harvest of your labour.

Ten years on, many, many more have joined us and together, we built a vibrant, thriving community of lifelong learners. What gratifies me is that you undertook this journey, mapped out by HCS, cheered on and actively encouraged by an incredibly proactive government, with a quiet courage that masked a heartfelt passion to acquire practical knowledge for all the right and good reasons. Collectively, the aim of our community has always been to better ourselves so we could protect our loved ones, improve the quality of our lives, and advance Singapore.

This year, on the Bicentennial of Singapore’s historical turning point from 1819 into a thriving, multi-migrant, multi-ethnic, myriad-cultured, multi-religious and free-spirited port city plugged for the first time then into a global economy, we have arrived at the next stage of our journey as a free and independent modern nation. We are now facing a future economy where ceaseless change, unparallelled perhaps and certainly unsettling, is being executed at the light speed of digitalisation. We must re-skill and job-proof ourselves as, perhaps, never before.

The advent of digital technologies has revolutionised the global economy, and nations everywhere must adapt to the changes. Singapore has made significant progress in enhancing its digital infrastructure. To stay competitive globally, there is much room for us to grow.

Going digital can offer us a boundless bounty of opportunities. Digital technology can help companies of any size and sector increase productivity, achieve greater scale and catalyse innovation in virtually any sphere of business.

Human Capital, including Human Resources, is one business area which is riding the wave of digital transformation. Brought about by profound workforce changes and transformative digital technologies, the industry faces challenges that contrast sharply with the past. HR professionals now play a critical role in enabling human capital development that supports business success in a digital age.

However, for businesses to adopt future-ready HR initiatives, employers and employees must see the necessity of upskilling. This is why the Government is investing in initiatives such as the Skills Framework (SFw) for HR. They see the importance for individuals like you to grow future-ready people management skills.

HCS, as the national Continuing Education and Training (CET) centre for HR, is commissioned by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to provide holistic HR training under the SFw for HR for new HR entrants and experienced HR professionals. HCS Academy remains the first and only CET Centre for Human Resources in Singapore and we will continue to bridge what HCS did and will do to move the needle for future transformation.

We believe that it is our mission to develop People Managers and Human Resources professionals who are ready to embrace Singapore’s vision for a Smart Nation.

As it was a decade ago and will be for as long as HCS stands, we invite you to partner with us, on your journey to become future-ready HR professionals, geared to face tomorrow’s challenges.

Warmest regards