Welcome Address By SUSS Provost Professor Robbie Goh at the Andragogy for Impact (ANFI) 2026

Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment

Mrs Mildred Tan, Chair of the SUSS Board of Trustees

Mr Patrick Tay, Assistant Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress

Distinguished Keynote Speakers, Participants and Colleagues

1. Good morning. I am delighted to welcome all of you to the Andragogy for Impact Conference, or ANFI in short, organised by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). A special welcome to our overseas guests who have travelled to Singapore to join us.

2. This is a special occasion, being the inaugural ANFI conference.  We envision ANFI to be a regular biennial series, bringing together researchers and practitioners from Singapore and internationally. 

3. ANFI is dedicated to advancing knowledge and practice in impactful andragogy.  It studies the ways in which various aspects of andragogical practice – including but not limited to Education Technology, AI, Assessment, Learning Outcomes, Workplace Learning, Micro Credentialing and other aspects – impact learning outcomes.  Impact can take the form of explicit outcomes such as salaries and career progression, but also implicit outcomes such as career resilience and fulfilment, job performance, and effective upskilling and reskilling. 

4. SUSS is fully aware of the magnitude of this area of study.  Not only are we dealing with different global cultures, policy systems and disciplines, we are also dealing with the complicated correlations between andragogy – the input side – and impact – the output side.  It is relatively easy to study either side in isolation – either andragogical techniques, or various employment and training outcomes.  It is much harder to study and postulate correlations between the two.  In many ways, the methodologies and frameworks for andragogy for impact are yet to be formulated.  This is precisely why we need a community of like-minded scholars and practitioners to come together with us, to take on this challenge.

5. The traditional model of higher education, which emphasises pre-employment training (PET), with the expectation that this would last for most if not all of the individual’s career, is certainly no longer viable.  AI and other industry disruptors mean that the shelf life of knowledge is greatly shortened, and career pathways are no longer linear. 

6. This means that continuing education and training (CET) takes on even greater importance.  Andragogy is the study of precisely this area: the way adults – including working adults, reskillers, senior learners – can best be trained and educated, for optimal learning and working outcomes.

7. Andragogy – the science of training adult learners – cannot be approached in the same way as PET education.  Adult learners bring different experiences, responsibilities and aspirations to education. Someone returning to the classroom at 40 or 50 has different needs from someone beginning a career.  Likewise, someone changing professions or deepening existing expertise, or a senior learning a new skill, all have different learning needs and expectations.  They also bring with them different sets of experience, knowledge and skills.

8. This is what ANFI is here to advance. The conference brings together educators, researchers, policymakers and industry leaders to exchange evidence and experience, and strengthen the connections between education, training and learning on the one hand, and work on the other.

9. The theme of this inaugural conference, “Adult Learning: Reimagining, Reinventing, Transforming”, seeks to establish the foundations of this longer-term project and field of study.

10. Across this year’s conference, we will examine how adult learning can better connect education and industry, strengthen learning systems, and foster learning across generations. We will also consider how technology and AI can support learning while keeping people and their needs at the centre.

11. I am heartened by the encouraging response to this conference. We have received more than 100 paper submissions from authors affiliated with institutions across 14 countries and regions.

12. The range and richness of the submissions signal the importance of this field of study, and the interest and expertise that exists in institutions in Singapore and overseas.

13. For the keynotes, we are privileged to have Professor David Boud of Deakin University and the University of Technology Sydney, Professor Cecilia Chan of The University of Hong Kong, and Mr Patrick Tay, Assistant Secretary-General of Singapore’s National Trades Union Congress. Together, they bring academic, workforce, and policy perspectives to the future of adult learning and higher education.

14. Among the colleagues joining us from overseas, I would like to mention in particular the University for Continuing Education Krems in Austria, and the University of Ulm, Germany, with whom SUSS is collaborating.  The collaborators will present a colloquium on intergenerational learning.

15. Across the conference, you will also find talking circles and roundtables. These collaborative formats reflect the spirit of adult learning itself, drawing on the experience and perspectives that each participant brings.

16. Andragogy for Impact is clearly a strategic thrust for SUSS, appropriate for our mission as a university for applied research and adult education.  It is one of our 3 strategic research pillars, together with Community Health, and Family and Community Resilience. 

17. In addition to advancing knowledge and practice in andragogy, SUSS also helps to raise capability through training and upskilling.  In this context, I am happy to announce the launch of the SUSS Professional Certificate in AI for Adult Education Practice. It is a collaboration between SUSS and Straits Interactive.

18. The certificate responds to a practical challenge for adult educators. As learners increasingly use AI, educators must rethink how they teach and assess. They must help learners use these tools effectively and responsibly.

19. Through applied courses in areas such as GenAI literacy, learning design, assessment, and others, the certificate will equip adult educators and training professionals to use AI purposefully in their practice and continue building their professional capabilities. More details will be shared once the arrangements are finalised.

20. In closing, I want to reiterate the importance of this area of study, and also the imperative that like-minded academics and institutions join together to advance its state of knowledge and practice.  Good andragogy requires researchers, educators, employers, unions, policymakers and learners themselves to be part of the conversation. I hope the conversations we begin at ANFI 2026 will spark new ideas and partnerships that continue beyond this conference and help shape the future of impactful adult learning.

21. On behalf of SUSS, I would like to extend special thanks to Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary for taking time out of his busy schedule to join us today.

22. I would also like to express my appreciation to our keynote speakers, presenters, international and industry partners, and everyone who has contributed their time, ideas and expertise to this conference.

23. I wish all of you a rewarding and fulfilling time. Thank you.