Singaporean SMU professor appointed to World Bank-backed global panel on skills to raise incomes and reduce poverty

SINGAPORE , Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Singaporean psychologist Professor David Chan (陈振中教授) from the Singapore Management University (SMU) has been appointed to a new global expert panel jointly established by the World Bank Group and the Center for Global Development. The Global Advisory Panel on Skills (GAPS ) is tasked with identifying the most effective skills interventions to raise incomes and reduce poverty in low- and middle-income countries, as governments worldwide grapple with widening skills gaps due to lack of enabling environments amid the advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven transformation.

The international expert panel's recommendations are expected to help inform how governments and international development organisations invest in workforce training and skills policies. The panel appointment comes at a time when countries across the world are accelerating investments in workforce reskilling and lifelong learning to remain competitive amid rapid technological change.