HR Learning Fest 2026 convenes employers, HR leaders, educators and industry partners to turn workforce transformation into practical action
SINGAPORE, 17 July 2026 – Singapore Polytechnic (SP) launched the Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC) at HR Learning Fest (HRLF) 2026, a new platform to help companies redesign work, strengthen human capability and translate workforce transformation into sustained business value. HRLF 2026 is themed “Career Rewired: Resilience, Relevance and Reinvention in the AI Era”, and is framed as a national and enterprise conversation on how work, careers and capabilities must be redesigned for the AI era. The occasion began with a pre-HRLF Executive Masterclass in the morning, where C-suite and senior leaders engaged in hands on AI in practice masterclass on how AI can transform and augment their business workflows. In the afternoon, participants gathered for the highlight of HRLF 2026: sharing and launch of the Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC), before transitioning into a lighter evening for SP School of Business’ 40th Anniversary celebration, #MoreThanJust—an evening of stories about the fear, failures and choices behind success.
HCC positions human capital as a business transformation framework, one that is beyond HR and interfaced with operations, technology or growth. Built on SP’s industry engagements with close to 1,000 organisations over the past three years, HCC follows a four-step pathway: business challenge, work redesign, human capability, and sustained value. It will support companies through job and workflow redesign, AI-enabled solutions, CET pathways, leadership development and fair workplace practices through SP staff consultancy, student projects, and industry pilots. Gracing the event as the Guest-Of-Honour was Mr Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Finance & Ministry of Manpower.
The launch comes as AI reshapes tasks, roles and the question of industry relevance become more apparent. HRLF 2026 moves from conversations to action, showing how organisations can redesign roles and teams to harness AI as an enabler, strengthen AI agility, and build career resilience as both an enterprise and national priority. Examples featured at the event include HR & AI Readiness Index Kiosk Powered by Elitez, AI-powered workflow transformation with job redesign, skills clinics, and workplace learning.
New report highlights the capability application gap
HRLF 2026 also marked the release of The Capability Advantage – Redesign to Reskill for Competitive Edge, the fourth edition of the Job Skills Insight (JSI) series by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP). Released to mark IHRP’s 10th anniversary and SP School of Business’s 40th anniversary (SB40 × IHRP10), the report draws on the perspectives of 335 HR professionals, business leaders and workforce members across more than 40 sectors.
It examines why workforce competitiveness can no longer be achieved through manpower growth, static roles or training programmes alone. As AI, automation and cross-functional demands reshape work, organisations need to move from fragmented skills initiatives towards intentional job redesign, skills mobility and workforce systems that enable continuous learning and performance. Its central diagnosis is that Singapore’s persistent capability gap is not a skills deficit, but an application deficit: skills are being built faster than work is being redesigned to deploy them, creating “capability debt” – the cost of work evolving faster than the systems organising it.
Three priorities highlighted in the report are:
Together, the report and HCC connect diagnosis with action; helping organisations identify where capability is constrained and move towards work redesign, capability-building and sustained value.
“AI transformation is not only about adopting technology; it is about redesigning work so people can use it well. A capability advantage is created when skills can be applied in daily work, supported by managers, clear ownership and the right systems. Through HCC, SP will bring education, industry and partners together to turn transformation intent into practical action and sustained business value,” said Mr Lucas Tok, Director, School of Business, Singapore Polytechnic.
HRLF 2026 also brings together the wider workforce ecosystem through keynotes, clinics, learning journeys and an industry showcase spanning career resilience, professional development, workforce transformation, fair workplaces, AI adoption, HR technology and business transformation. For education audiences, the event highlights SP’s applied learning role through CET, student projects, internships, industry pilots and workforce upskilling pathways embedded across HCC and the new partnerships.
Deepening industry collaborations
As part of HRLF 2026, SP also signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with five partners to expand workforce transformation, lifelong learning and applied industry collaboration:
By connecting national priorities with enterprise needs, HRLF 2026 underscores that the future of work is not about whether people or AI will win, but how organisations can redesign work so that people, technology and business performance advance together.
Annexe A: Factsheet on the Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC)
What is the Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC)?
The Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC) is SP’s platform for company and workforce transformation, launched at HRLF 2026.
Why it matters
AI is reshaping tasks, roles and skills, while employers are seeking practical ways to connect technology, work design and human capability to business value.
Framework
Business challenge → work redesign → human capability → sustained value
Four pillars
Who benefits
Companies undertaking transformation; HR and business leaders; workers and learners building career resilience; students engaged in applied learning; and ecosystem partners supporting workforce development.
HCC’s role
To connect national priorities with industry needs and translate them into practical solutions with partners for companies.
| Organisation | HCC Focus | Key Outcomes / Insights |
|---|---|---|
| Ledgen | Leadership and people manager capability development | Progressed from a one-off HR Learning Journey into a sustained leadership development journey. Senior leaders underwent Insights Discovery programmes, followed by structured leadership training for first-line managers focused on performance management, communication, and team leadership. This helped build greater consistency in decision-making, communication, and people management practices across teams. |
| JTC | People manager development and workplace capability building | Highlighted a common challenge across organisations where managers often want to do the right thing but are not always systematically equipped to manage performance, difficult conversations, and team dynamics consistently. Reinforced the importance of structured and sustained capability development beyond one-off training. |
| Singapore Kindness Movement | Workplace culture and people capability development | Demonstrated the growing importance of self-awareness, communication, and fair workplace practices in strengthening team dynamics and organisational culture. |
| SPETA | 2nd Gen Leadership Programme | Supported leadership and workforce transformation efforts for second-generation business leaders through HR Learning Journeys and leadership workshops. |
Annexe B: SB40 Staraisers Show
Themed “#MoreThanJust”, the SB40 Staraisers Show is a unique and dynamic production that takes the audience on a multi-generational journey of 40 years of SB, from its founding to where it is today, where every setback became a lesson, every crisis shaped resilience, and every generation redefined what leadership means.
Directed by acclaimed local theatre practitioner, director, writer and educator Adib Kosnan, Staraisers draws inspiration from real alumni experiences and highlights the grit, resilience, and enterprising spirit of SB’s approach to educating and preparing students for Singapore’s economic needs through the years.
All proceeds from ticket sales will also be donated to Honour Singapore, a non-profit organisation dedicated to nurturing a culture of honour, integrity, and responsibility for Singapore's well-being and future success. It is a citizen-led initiative that seeks to strengthen trust, character, and ethical leadership across individuals, organisations, and communities.
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