Overview

Launched in October 2026, by the Centre for Skills‑First Practices (CSFP) at the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), the Skills-First Framework for Action is a Singaporean initiative that identifies skills‑first practices for individuals and employers. The framework identifies practical approaches for making demonstrated skills, alongside qualifications, a stronger basis for decisions about hiring, employee development, career progression, and workforce deployment.

The framework proposes 12 pilot ideas to test skills-first approaches with employers, government agencies, trade associations, unions, education providers, and other stakeholders. The pilot ideas are proposals for testing and refinement; they include:

• Recurring career and skills reviews for individuals.
• A Skills-First Enterprise Transformation Pathway to help employers assess workforce needs and redesign employment practices.
• Training and support for managers and business owners who make workforce decisions.
• Stronger connections between national labor-market intelligence and organizational workforce planning.
• A Skills-First Observatory to monitor adoption and outcomes over time.
• A research agenda.

The framework recommends three broad changes in how individuals and organizations approach skills”

• Make skills-based decisions routine
  • Skills identification, review, and development should become ongoing activities rather than occasional exercises associated with job changes or training programs.
• Embed skills-first practices into organizational systems
  • Employers should incorporate skills information into hiring, workforce planning, job design, employee development, internal mobility, and career progression.
• Build shared capabilities and infrastructure
  • Employers, education providers, researchers, and government agencies should collaborate to develop practical tools, common approaches, and evidence about effective skills-first practices.

The Centre for Skills-First Practices is also convening a community of employers, researchers, and practitioners interested in implementing and improving skills-first approaches.

Background

Singapore has invested extensively in lifelong learning, workforce development, and skills recognition through its SkillsFuture movement. However, increasing access to training does not automatically ensure that employers recognize and use workers' skills effectively. Skills-first practices require changes in organizational decision-making, management capabilities, job structures, and career development systems. The Skills-First Framework for Action is designed to address these challenges by shifting attention from general advocacy for skills-based approaches toward practical implementation. It draws on two years of research, working papers, policy discussions, and design workshops involving employers, unions, policymakers, researchers, and individuals. The framework is particularly relevant to international discussions about skills-based hiring because it extends the concept beyond recruitment to include workforce development, employee deployment, internal mobility, and organizational performance.

Partners/Funders

The initiative is led by the Centre for Skills-First Practices at the Institute for Adult Learning. The framework was co-authored with five institutional partners:

• National Trades Union Congress
• Singapore Business Federation
• Singapore National Employers Federation
• Singapore University of Social Sciences
• Skills and Workforce Development Agency

Additional implementation partners include employers, government agencies, trade associations, education providers, and industry organizations.

Resources

Launch of Skills-First Framework for Action charts Singapore's next phase of workforce transformation.  Institute for Adult Learning. (n.d.). Skills-first. https://www.ial.edu.sg/skills-first

Lim, J.  (2026, October). Employers urged to look beyond degrees, job titles when hiring under new skills-first framework. The Straight Times. https://www.msn.com/en-sg/money/general/employers-urged-to-look-beyond-degrees-job-titles-in-hiring-under-new-skills-first-framework/ar-AA2fyqk0?ocid=BingNewsVerp

Press Release: Institute for Adult Learning. (2026, October 19). Launch of Skills-First Framework for Action Charts Singapore's Next Phase of Workforce Transformation. https://www.ial.edu.sg/about-ial/media/launch-of-skills-first-framework-for-action-charts-singapore-s-next-phase-of-workforce-transformatio/