A Professional Development Reference Guide for Industry Stakeholders

SMS Sun Xueling speaking at the Singapore Real Estate Agents Excellence Awards on 21 Nov 2025. (Photo: MND)

Dec 2025 - 3 min read

Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for National Development and Transport, announced the new Professional Development Reference Guide (PDRG) at the Singapore (SG) Real Estate Agents Excellence Awards 2025 on 21 November 2025.

Developed by CEA in close consultation with the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA) and the industry, the PDRG aims to expand learning opportunities for real estate salespersons (RESs) and raise the professional standards of the industry.

CEAnergy shares a few key highlights of SMS Sun’s speech at the Singapore Real Estate Agents Excellence Awards, which was the first major event organised by SIEA.

PDRG: A roadmap for professional development

SMS Sun shared that the PDRG is one of the recommendations from Project ADEPT (Advancing and Enhancing Professionalism and Training) to strengthen the Continuing Professional Development (CPD)ecosystem.

Comprising the Skills Map and the Competency Guide, the PDRG provides key information on the different job roles in the real estate agency industry, including the required skills and competencies, and expected proficiency levels.

The PDRG is designed to benefit all stakeholders in the real estate agency industry:

• RESs can use the PDRG to map their learning pathways and identify their training needs to develop their current and future job roles.

• Estate agents (EAs) can use the PDRG to develop targeted training plans and programmes for their RESs.

• Training providers can refer to the PDRG when designing training programmes that are better aligned with industry needs.

Regulatory oversight

Separately, on the regulatory front, SMS Sun noted that the new anti-money laundering requirements for the industry, which had come into effect on 1 July 2025, have posed challenges for some RESs. Feedback from the industry indicated that some RESs faced difficulties explaining these new requirements to their clients, or were unsure about the type of due diligence checks to conduct in some scenarios.

In response, CEA will be updating its Prevention of Money Laundering, Proliferation Financing and Terrorism Financing (PMLPFTF) Guide and publishing additional guidance materials to support industry stakeholders in implementing these measures.

CEA will also be developing materials for property consumers to explain why certain information must be collected as part of Singapore’s anti-money laundering measures.

Awards recognise professionalism and ethical standards of RESs

SMS Sun also lauded SIEA for refining this year’s award criteria. Client testimonials are now mandatory and applicants in some categories face rigorous assessment of their professional contributions and ethical standards – signalling the industry’s commitment to raising quality and professionalism.

SMS Sun noted that this shift aligns with the Government’s push for excellence in service delivery and professional conduct.

Concluding her speech, SMS Sun congratulated recipients of the Real Estate Agents Excellence Awards and emphasised the importance of the effective partnership between the Government and the industry to continue transforming the industry toward higher professional standards.

Information accurate as at 26 Dec 2025