Singapore Launches Adult Learning Symposium 2009

The Adult Learning Symposium 2009, a platform for adult educators to exchange insights in Continuing Education and Training (CET), will be held from 5-6 November 2009.

Themed “Adult Learning – Emerging Challenges and Opportunities”, the event will be attended by over 450 participants including trainers, curriculum designers, training managers and specialists from CET Centres, the Polytechnics and ITE, along with Singapore’s over 300 Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) training providers.

They will hear from experts sharing experiences, research and practices from the United Kingdom, Korea, Malaysia, Australia, the United States and Singapore.

AEN: A Professional Body for WSQ Trainers and Adult Educators

The Symposium will also see the official launch of the Adult Educators’ Network Singapore (AEN) by Madam Halimah Yacob, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Guest-of-Honour at the event.

Serving primarily trainers and adult educators working in the WSQ system, the AEN is a voluntary professional network which provides members with professional development opportunities and peer support and mentoring. AEN will also facilitate the setting up of interest groups to further the development of specific areas in adult education.

Dr Gary Willmott, the Executive Director of Singapore’s Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) which is staging the symposium, said, ”As CET gains importance in Singapore and the Workforce Skills Qualifications system expands, it is important that we invest in the development of trainers and adult educators. The formation of the Adult Educators’ Network is part of the Institute for Adult Learning’s effort to help practitioners and managers in the WSQ system enhance their professional development, relevance and currency.”

Symposium Programme

The two day Symposium includes 4 keynote presentations, 2 panel discussions and 32 workshops.

Some of the notable speakers include: Professor Chan Lee from Seoul National University; Professor Martyn Sloman who is a Visiting Professor at Kingston Business School, United Kingdom; Professor Roger Harris from the University of South Australia; Professor Maznah Muhamad from the Universiti Putra Malaysia; and Ms Lean Jie Xin from Republic Polytechnic, Singapore.

Professor Emeritus Sharan B. Merriam, Professor Emeritus of Adult Education, The University of Georgia, United States of America and Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia will give the opening keynote address, speaking on Globalisation’s impact on adult education.

Research papers being presented at the symposium include:

From Korea: The Challenges and Performance Orientated Human Resource Development in Large Corporate Organisations in Korea by Professor Chan Lee, Seoul National University;

From the United Kingdom: Implications for Continuing Vocational Training and Adult Development of Changing Patterns of Career Development in Europe by Professor Alan Brown, Warwick University;

From Australia: Sustaining Older Workers Workplace Competence: An Australian Perspective by Professor Stephen Billett, Griffith University; and

From Singapore: Learning in and for the 21st Century Workplace by Professor Erica McWilliam, National Institute of Education, Singapore.

A joint paper on new approaches to worker competency which stresses adaptability and problem-solving will be presented by Mr Samuel Ho from ITE College West and Mr Wilfrid Lammers of Siemens Technical Academy in Berlin, Germany.

For more information on the Symposium, please visit http://www.ialsymposium.com.sg.

Topics: adult educators, adult learning, Adult Learning Symposium, CET, Continuing Education and Training, education, Singapore, trainers, training managers, WSQ Trainers

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