HR Learning Fest & Symposium 2025 Unites Industry Leaders to Power Sustainable Workforce Transformation Across Industries
SINGAPORE, 25 July 2025 – Singapore Polytechnic (SP) convened over 800 HR leaders, Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs), business professionals, and students at the HR Learning Fest & Symposium 2025 (HRLFS 2025), a flagship event held in conjunction with the national SkillsFuture Festival. Graced by Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Deputy Secretary-General Mr Desmond Tan as Guest-of-Honour, the symposium spotlighted urgent workforce challenges, talent shortages, employer branding and the importance of sustainable workforce development across industries.
Under the theme “HR for a Sustainable Future: Reimagining Employer Branding & Job Redesign,” HRLFS 2025 marked the third edition of the symposium, continuing its role as a flagship platform for thought leadership, innovation, and collaboration at the nexus of HR, sustainability, and digital transformation.
Empowering SMEs with a New Workforce Strategy
At the heart of the symposium was the unveiling of SP’s latest HR learning journey: “Building Companies of Good – Planet.” This new edition builds on previous themes of Profit & People, and is designed to empower SMEs to:
Strengthen their employer brand to attract and retain specialised talent,
Navigate a tight labour market with practical, future-ready HR strategies,
Embed sustainability and purpose into workforce practices to boost retention and resilience.
Strategic Alliances to Power Workforce Transformation
SP formalised a strategic partnership with the Singapore Precision Engineering & Technology Association (SPETA) to future-proof Singapore’s advanced manufacturing sector. Together, they launched the Sectoral Guide on Fair Workplace Practices (FWP) for Manufacturing—a first-of-its-kind resource tailored to SMEs, offering implementation toolkits and case studies to adopt flexible work models without compromising productivity.
In parallel, SP signed a partnership agreement with the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) to co-develop human capital policy templates and refine existing practices for the accommodation sector. This ground-up approach aims to foster collaborative work environments and uplift HR professionalism.
Both partnerships will leverage SP’s Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC) model to support workforce transformation, enabling enterprises to craft actionable HR plans and participate in targeted training programmes.
Additionally, SP inked Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with several key partners, including, Elitez Private Limited, Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), The Block School, Singapore Fintech Association, The Ascott Limited Indonesia and the addendum with Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP). These partnerships are designed to strengthen a future-ready workforce through collective actions, spanning diagnostics, workforce upskilling, applied research, and student-industry engagement. For more details on the MOUs, please refer to Annexe A.
Other Key Highlights:
Keynote by Public Sector CHRO: Ms Low Peck Kem, CHRO of the Public Service Division, delivered a keynote address titled “From Jobs to Journey: Achieving Career Agility,” sharing invaluable insights on evolving workforce dynamics and career design.
Launch of the HR Learning Journey – Planet Pillar: SP unveiled “HRLJ: Building Companies of Good – Planet”, the third and final installation in the HRLJ series, following earlier tracks on Profit and People. The new immersive experience is designed to help participants explore sustainability-focused workplace models and deepen their understanding of how HR can contribute to environmental and social good. This innovative learning journey utilises experiential storytelling to present compelling real-world scenarios:
Scenario 1, developed in partnership with ACRA, DBS, Giti Tires, and Elitez Group of Companies, illustrates the inertia and consequences faced by SMEs that adopt a "wait-and-see" attitude towards Sustainability or Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) adoption.
Scenario 2 showcases how SMEs that actively embrace and integrate sustainability into their business strategies and HR practices can build strong employer branding. This is crucial as today's employees increasingly prefer working with companies demonstrating real purpose, especially around sustainability, flexibility, and social impact.
Mr Soh Wai Wah, Principal and CEO of Singapore Polytechnic, stated, “On behalf of the HR Sector Coordination Team for the POLITE sector, Singapore Polytechnic would like to convey our commitment towards driving workforce transformation through business-aligned, people-first, and purpose-driven efforts. The HR Learning Fest and Symposium brings together education, industry, and unions to reimagine human capital as a catalyst for sustainable growth and inclusive workplaces. Through our HR Learning Journey, the inaugural POLITE Hackathon, and the key MoU signings, this event demonstrates our dedication to enhance HR capabilities and align talent development in tandem with Singapore’s evolving workforce priorities.”
Annexe A
Memoranda of Understanding
S/N | Industry Partner | Areas of Collaboration |
| 1 | Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) | 1. The HR Learning Journey (HRLJ) will see the Co-creation of an on-site experiential HR learning journey, immersive storytelling, student projects, and showcasing success stories. This will enable knowledge sharing and create awareness on the value of HR through experiential engagement and use of IHRP resources such as the Playbook and Human Capital Diagnostic Tool (HCDT). 2. The Human Capital Collaboratory (HCC) - SP and IHRP will collaborate to offer a suite of integrated HR products, accredited programmes, and services that support workforce reskilling and upskilling. Together, these efforts provide tailored, end-to-end support to help SMEs identify skills gaps, strengthen HR capabilities, implement sustainable workforce development strategies, and coordinate join marketing and outreach initiatives. |
2 | Elitez Private | 1. Both parties will collaborate on industry outreach activities to expand the reach and engagement with stakeholders through joint initiatives and aligned interests. |
3 | Singapore Precision Engineering & Technology Association (SPETA) | 1. SPETA will conduct annual workshops on sustainability manufacturing, such as Industry 4.0 technologies, best practices, and use cases. Members can also experience learning journeys from SP and workshops from the Building Companies of Good series |
4 | Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union (FDAWU) | 1. Both parties will co-develop future-oriented policy templates such as Fair Workplace Practices to promote these to stakeholders and formalise them via collective agreements with unionised companies. SP will also develop fundamental and progressive human capital process templates and resources. |
5 | Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME) | 1. SP students will be connected to ASME’s capstone projects, providing them with opportunities to work on real SME projects, potentially leading to job placements. |
6 | Singapore Fintech Association | 1. Participating students will be equipped with core Fintech competencies to prepare them for their careers in the industry. Current and emerging Fintech practices will be integrated into their curriculum to ensure alignment with the government’s direction, while staying relevant to industry needs. |
7 | Blockchain Association | 1. Blockchain Association will develop and execute the Fintech Industry Immersion Programme (FIIP) and Certificate in Fintech Immersion, recommending and approving new Fintech-related initiatives for inclusion in FIIP and Certificate in Fintech Immersion. |
8 | The Block School | 1. Collaboration will focus on designing and delivering programmes that provide pre-employment training (PET) students with practical, industry-relevant Fintech knowledge and learning experiences aligned with sector trends and innovations. |
9 | The Ascott Limited Indonesia | 1. SP and The Ascott Limited Indonesia will explore student internship opportunities to enrich their practical learning experience and for them to gain hands-on industry experience. |
Annexe B
POLITE Hackathon 2025 – Fact Sheet
Overview
The POLITE Hackathon 2025 is a national-level ideation competition that brings together students from the five Polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to co-create innovative HR solutions for a sustainable future. Organised as a key lead-up event to the HR Learning Fest & Symposium 2025, the hackathon fosters inter-institutional collaboration and youth-driven innovation in the future of work.
Organised By
School of Business, Singapore Polytechnic
Supported by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP), Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP), Republic Polytechnic (RP), Singapore Polytechnic (SP), and Temasek Polytechnic (TP).
Theme
HR for a Sustainable Future: Reimagining Employer Branding and Job Redesign
Timeline
Kick-off Briefing: 23 June 2025 (in-person introduction at Singapore Polytechnic)
Hackathon Period: 23 to 27 June 2025 (self-directed work + mentor check-ins)
Finale & Judging Day: 27 June 2025 (in-person pitch at Singapore Polytechnic)
Recognition Ceremony: 25 July 2025 at HR Learning Fest & Symposium (HRLFS)
Participants
24 students from across the six POLITE institutions
Formed into 6 cross-polytechnic teams
Teams selected 1 of 3 problem statements related to the hackathon theme
Challenge Statements
Well-being Is the New KPI
How can we redesign job roles in industries like finance and social services to support employee mental health without affecting productivity?
Fairness Over Fear – Sustainable Performance Management
How can we redesign the role of a performance manager to promote long-term, ethical, and collaborative behaviour?
Employer Branding Crisis – Would You Work Here?
How can we reimagine employer branding and workplace culture in traditional industries like Manufacturing and Precision Engineering to attract young talent?
Singapore Polytechnic
500 Dover Rd Singapore 139651