ETHOS Issue 30
October 2026
Last updated on 29 October 2026
ETHOS Issue 30, October 2026
Marking the Civil Service College’s 25th anniversary, this commemorative edition of ETHOS reflects on the journeys, ideas, and experiences that have shaped learning and leadership in the Singapore Public Service. Bringing together practitioners and thought leaders, Issue 30 explores how performance-led learning, human-centred leadership, and enduring public service values can help officers and institutions adapt, exercise sound judgement and deliver better outcomes in an increasingly complex world.
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Editorial
by Dr Alvin Pang
The College is a living laboratory for forward-thinking ideas about public administration and governance in practice. It also serves as institutional memory for the work of government, broadening and deepening our hard-earned professional repertoire of public service tradecraft.
Foreword
by Chan Heng Kee
The Civil Service College (CSC) marks its 25th anniversary this year, a milestone that merits both appreciation and reflection.
Opening Message
by Han Neng Hsiu
The Civil Service College (CSC) celebrates our 25th anniversary as a statutory board this year, at a time of greater complexity and uncertainty in the geopolitical and domestic environment, and a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
From Capability to Performance: Learning How to Evolve
by Eleanor Ng
Public service performance is shaped not only by what officers know or can do, but also whether these are reinforced in an organisation’s actual workflows, decision-making and operating culture. This insight is driving new performance-led learning and development strategies at the Civil Service College (CSC).
How Adult Learning Is Changing in a Transformed World
by Terence Ho
Insights from the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), Singapore’s national centre of excellence for adult learning, highlight the need for relevant, continual learning that is embedded into organisational workflows and practices at every level.
Outcomes that Matter: Learning in a More Complex Public Service
by Anuradha Shroff, Brigitte Deden, K U Menon, R Jai Prakash, Roshini Ganesan and Yip Ghenglai
What does it take to create meaningful learning for public officers today?
Teaching Governance: The Long Game
by June Gwee
From technical knowhow to understanding context, engaging with empathy, collaborative learning, and beyond, the cultivation of Singapore’s public officers has been driven by the need to anticipate and address the nation’s evolving demands.
CSC's Digital Capabilities: From Quiet Bets to Big Moves
by Lam Kai Wah and Tan Zheng Yi
The College has taken a 'try first' approach to developing digital skills — identifying evergreen capability areas, and experimenting early with learning interventions that may grow to become key moves in shaping the Public Service’s growing digital understanding.
Five Dispositions for Future Public Officers
by Aaron Maniam
The veteran public sector practitioner, observer and CSC Fellow argues that an increasingly turbulent world calls for the intentional formation of human habits – of mind and action – that cannot be automated away.
The Work Beneath the Work: Cultivating Leaders for a More Human Public Service
by Chia Nah Nah
Twenty-five years on, what has changed most in the Public Service’s leadership development is not what we teach. It is what we have come to believe leaders need to serve well and to help their teams thrive.
Career Fitness: Developing Resilient and Agile Public Officers
by Lim Dun Lin
Careers are no longer linear or predictable: longevity, changing life needs and shifting job demands call for public officers to stay fit, agile and adaptable across different seasons of life. CSC’s research examines how career fitness can be built as a shared responsibility among officers, supervisors and organisations.
Memory, Momentum, Meaning: An Interview with Jocelyne Bourgon
with Jocelyne Bourgon
The former head of Canada’s Public Service has been a Fellow of the Civil Service College (CSC) since its inception as a statutory board. In conversation with ETHOS, she reflects on the role of public-sector learning institutions in uncertain times.
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