# Singapore launches over 200 AI training courses

- Date: 2026-09-16
- Added: 2026-09-17
- Who: Lawrence Wong (Prime Minister of Singapore) · CNA
- Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EffrDLkW6To
- sgai: https://sgai.md/videos/v099/
- License: sgai-authored content (summaries, translations, analysis) is CC BY 4.0 — attribute and link to sgai.md. Verbatim source text (Hansard, speeches, transcripts, policy documents) remains © its original rights holders and is reproduced for reference only. Terms: https://github.com/meltflake/sgai/blob/main/DATA-LICENSE.md

## Why it matters

SWDA establishes and subsidizes 6-month AI tool subscriptions; government role expands from teaching skills to directly paying for tools

## Summary

Singapore launches over 200 AI courses with free six-month premium AI tool access for eligible participants through the new Skills and Workforce Development Agency.

## Full text

© CNA — reproduced for reference only.

More than 200 AI causes are being offered by the newly formed skills and workforce development agency. Singaporeans who attend eligible causes can get 6 months free access to premium AI tools. The agency also opened a new center offering career skills and workforce support to individuals and employers. Speaking at the opening, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong says the government's task is to ensure Singaporeans are equipped rather than overwhelmed by changes in technology and the workforce. Jermaine Wong with more. >> Scroll through the My Skills Future website and you may notice some courses now come with a free AI subscription tag. Singaporeans can then sharpen their AI skills with tools like chat GPT plus and Google AI pro free for 6 months. This AI initiative was first announced during the budget speech in February.

>> Nobody becomes an expert after taking just one course or one workshop. Uh our wish and what we want to do for everyone is to make it easier for them to learn, to practice, and to try try out their newly acquired skills on real tasks. That's how they will build confidence in using AI over time. >> An online quiz can also assess a person's AI readiness and recommend suitable learning resources and courses. At the Skills Future Festival, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong says workers and businesses should not have to navigate different agencies and schemes to find the support they need. >> People should not need to know which agency runs which scheme before they can get help.

We ought to take a more customer centric approach and this is what SWDA will try to do to provide a simpler and more coherent journey tailored to the needs of both workers as well as businesses. For employers, a new portal called our workforce brings programs and training resources together in one place. As companies adopt new technology and transform their businesses, Mr. Wong says they must also consider equipping workers for the jobs that emerge. >> Our workers cannot be an afterthought in business transformation. When a company transforms, its workers should have the chance to transform with it. So the two must go hand in hand. We want businesses to be more productive and competitive, but we also want workers to benefit through better skills, better jobs, and better prospects.

Connect by SWDA brings career and skill support together in one place. Individuals can get help exploring career pathways while employees can seek support for hiring and job redesign. >> Our message to all Singaporeans is clear. If you are prepared to learn, adapt and make the effort, we will help you build the skills you need and find a pathway forward. You may have to change jobs. You may have to learn new skills. In fact, you very well probably have to learn new skills. But you will never have to face these challenges alone. For those looking for a job, transiting, or even those early in the exploration phase trying to understand what job might best suit them, this 14stage experience provides them a guided experience in navigating that journey.

And with this RFID card that you get upon registration, it logs your history between each stage. At this station, you can put on a headset and get a chance to practice your elevator pitch in a simulated scenario. During this process, you'll first present why you'd succeed in transiting to your desired job role. This encourages you to draw on past experiences to add value to your responses. And seconds after it's done, you receive immediate feedback on whether your facial expressions convey confidence or even nervousness and the skills gaps that need work. But before you even reach the mock pitch stage, other stations can help you identify which skills you have, what ability you're missing, or what knowledge you need before a transition to your next role.

Based on these, the system will then recommend eligible courses and funding support to fill the missing skills gap. By being in the same place as other job seekers, they also feel that camaraderie with the other job seekers and they feel that there is an overall supportive environment for them. Yeah. that allows them to get away from the home which sometimes can be very lonely if they're searching for the job all by themselves. >> The center also provides employers courses like how to guide and talk to workers about career paths.