Foreword

The Civil Service College (CSC) marks its 25^th anniversary this year, a milestone that merits both appreciation and reflection. 

My association with the College has been a personal and fulfilling one. I served as Dean from 2006 to 2008 and have continued to teach and speak at its programmes in the years since. These engagements have reminded me of the value of giving public officers space to step back from immediate demands, learn from experts and from one another, and return to our work with a clearer sense of what good public service requires. 

Over the past quarter century, CSC has played a central role in building the capabilities of Singapore’s Public Service. Its training programmes have helped officers understand Singapore’s distinctive context, develop essential competencies, and make sense of the changing environment in which we operate. Its leadership interventions have supported public service leaders at different stages of their journeys, while its organisation development work has helped agencies strengthen their capabilities. By bringing officers, leaders and agencies together across organisational boundaries, the College has also strengthened our sense of community, collective capability and whole‑of‑government mindset. 

Anniversaries, however, are not only occasions to look back. They also invite us to consider how institutions must evolve, and where they can stretch themselves further. 

The operating environment today is markedly different from when I was Dean. The world is more contested, interconnected and fast‑moving, and developments beyond our shores affect us more directly. At home, societal expectations continue to rise. AI and other emerging technologies are changing how we work, carry out our responsibilities, make decisions and serve the public. We do, however, have solid foundations on which to build. Singapore’s Public Service is well regarded internationally and continues to enjoy the trust of Singaporeans. But we cannot assume that past strengths will be sufficient for the future. Our collective capacity to learn and adapt with purpose and urgency will remain an important source of resilience and advantage for Singapore. 

This points to the kind of Public Service we need to continue building: officers and leaders with the expertise and competence to do their jobs well, as well as the curiosity, adaptability and courage to question established thinking and long‑held ways of doing things. It also underscores the importance of deeper transformation within agencies, and stronger collaboration across agencies, disciplines and sectors. 

For all of us, this means continuing to learn, not only to perform our current roles better, but also to prepare ourselves and our organisations for what lies ahead. Learning cannot be confined to formal programmes or classrooms alone. It must increasingly take place through digital means, in the workplace and in the course of our daily responsibilities. As tools such as AI become part of our everyday work, they also prompt us to reconsider both what and how we learn, so that we can extend our capabilities while remaining grounded in our values, exercising sound judgement and taking responsibility for the choices we make. 

Learning and development should therefore be seen not merely as a supporting activity, but as a strategic capability that enables organisational performance and transformation. CSC can work alongside leaders and agencies to anticipate the capabilities we will need, embed learning more deeply in the workplace, and translate new knowledge and skills into better performance and outcomes for Singaporeans. 

One of the College’s enduring strengths is its close connection to practice. Many of the most valuable lessons in public service come from lived experience, including the difficult trade‑offs we have had to navigate and what we have learnt from successes as well as setbacks. I hope more senior leaders and experienced practitioners will step forward as teachers and mentors. CSC, in turn, can continue to create trusted spaces where we share our knowledge candidly, learn across agency boundaries, and benefit from perspectives different from our own. 

My aspiration for CSC’s next chapter is straightforward. It should remain at the heart of learning and development in the Singapore Public Service, and serve as a trusted learning partner to our officers, leaders and agencies: close enough to understand our challenges, forward‑looking enough to anticipate the capabilities we will need, and bold enough to try new ways of learning with us. In doing so, it can connect learning more closely with work, make thoughtful use of digital technology and AI, and continue to bring together people, ideas and practice across the Public Service. 

CSC cannot do this alone. As public officers, each of us has a part to play and must take ownership of our own development. Those of us who lead teams and agencies need to be clear about the outcomes we seek and the capabilities our people need, and create space for them to learn, experiment and put new capabilities into practice. Across the Public Service, we should be generous in teaching and sharing what we know, humble enough to keep learning from one another, and open to working with CSC to try new approaches. 

This commemorative issue of ETHOS reflects the College’s enduring commitment to meeting these imperatives. It invites us to consider not only how public officers and leaders learn, but also how learning can strengthen our organisations, deepen our collective capabilities and improve the way we serve. 

The work of building a strong, responsive and values‑driven Public Service is never finished. As CSC enters its next chapter, let us deepen our commitment to learning together. I am confident that the College will continue to strengthen our people, leadership and organisations, help us remain ready for change, and enable all of us to serve Singapore and Singaporeans with integrity, service and excellence. 

Chan Heng Kee 
Head, Civil Service 

Back to ETHOS Issue page