The Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF), a national-level research fund offered by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), aims to foster high quality and rigorous applied research in workforce development and lifelong learning to support the SkillsFuture Singapore's key thrusts and national-level policies. It encourages inter-disciplinary research and seeks to strengthen research capabilities, through leveraging both local and international expertise. The WDARF Grant Call is administered by the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) on behalf of the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). The grant is awarded through an open, competitive bidding approach, where submitted proposals go through a technical expert review and evaluation, before they are presented to a Research Committee for approval.
Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF) 2025 Grant Call
The WDARF 2025 Grant Call is now open. We are now accepting submission for Expression of Interest (EOI) from now till 18 July.
Previous Result
Grant Call 2019
Challenge-Learn: Developing and Assessing an Andragogical Programme and System based on Co-Skilling to Enhance Employability and Learning
Asst Prof Pee Loo Geok, Nanyang Technological University
Co-Skilling is a practical approach to adult learning by co-creating ideas and solutions with relevant career stakeholders. It offers systematic guidance to connecting learning to current or future career advancement, as well as demonstrating usable learning outcomes. This research project develops an online system that implements Co-Skilling principles in institutes of adult education. The impacts of Co-Skilling on employability and learning are also assessed.
Grant Call 2019
Empowering Singaporean Workers to Transition, and Map Careers Better in the Future of Work through Open Loop Careers
Mr Poon King Wang, Singapore University of Technology and Design
The project is aimed at measuring changes in career circumstances and attitudes over time (12 months), as well as qualitative interviews which glean deeper insights on Singaporean workers' personal experiences.
Grant Call 2021
Examining the Implementation of Practice-based Work Approach for the Professional Learning of Associate Faculty
Associate Professor Jennifer Yeo, Singapore University of Social Sciences
This study aims to examine the design of a practice-based learning approach in two graduate certificate courses aimed at building up the teaching and learning capacity of Associate Faculty (AF).
Grant Call 2020
Changing Mindsets to Enable Workers to Thrive in an Uncertain Job Market
Dr Patricia Chen, National University of Singapore
This research aims to address the psychological barriers that could hinder workers’ motivation to engage in lifelong learning. The study introduces two theoretically novel mindsets as potential solutions to reduce these psychological barriers (i.e. do not believe that they can learn new, different kind of skills, fear of failure). The first is an “expansive growth mindset” (the belief that one can take up and master new, different kinds of skills) and the second, an “experimental mindset” (an orientation towards approaching any problem through iterative experimenting—including generating various possible solutions, trials-and-error, gaining feedback, revising methods based on the feedback and trying again). The team will conduct psychological research on Singapore working adults to measure and test the global efficacy of these mindsets. In Aim 1 (i.e. understanding two important psychological barriers to upskilling and reskilling), the team will design and validate measures of these theoretically novel mindsets, and examine their relation with people’s learning attitudes and motivations. In Aim 2 (i.e. designing and testing mindset interventions to address the psychological barriers), the team will design and test scalable mindset interventions to motivate greater engagement in upskilling and reskilling (e.g. greater uptake of SkillsFuture credits). The findings will contribute to possible solutions to enhance lifelong learning in Singapore.
Grant Call 2017
Course Suggestion for Career Planning: Evaluating Strategies to Support Lifelong Learning. A Pilot on Using Analytics to Recommend SkillsFuture Credit Courses
Professor Robert Kamei, National University of Singapore
The aim of this study is to create a recommender system that can help Singaporeans find, select and complete CET programmes that are suited to both their personal strengths and the needs of the broader Singapore economy. It uses both recent artifical intelligence and data mining techniques as well as behavourial science to better understand how and why people pursue opportunities for lifelong learning. The pilot will test and evaluate the quality of its recommendations.
