Budget 2026: Singapore to train 100,000 workers to apply AI
The government also aims to support 10,000 enterprises in adopting artificial intelligence over the next three years
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[SINGAPORE] The Republic is doubling down on its digital ambitions with a new training programme aimed at making 100,000 workers more fluent with the application of artificial intelligence (AI).
Announced by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Monday (Mar 2) during her ministry’s Committee of Supply debate, the new National AI Impact Programme will be supported by initiatives from the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Education to raise AI literacy in the local workforce.
The new initiative builds on Singapore’s National AI Strategy 2.0, and will reinforce the nation’s commitment to harnessing AI for the public good.
To support the push for more AI adoption at an individual level, the government will begin with the expansion of the TechSkills Accelerator (Tesa) programme into non-tech sectors.
Launched in 2016, the programme has placed more than 24,300 locals into tech domains such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, as well as AI and analytics.
It has also upskilled more than 440,000 individuals with tech skill sets.
Push begins with legal and accountancy sectors
The expansion into the non-tech sector will begin with the accountancy and legal professions, which are horizontal occupations that span multiple industries and have high exposure to AI applications in their domain.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will partner with sector lead agencies, as well as accounting and legal professional bodies, to develop tailored AI fluency programmes, which would identify the skills needed to transform workflows with the technology and the corresponding training needs.
Through the Tesa programmes, the government seeks to equip participants with skills to transform role-specific workflows with AI, provide hands-on experience with AI solutions and develop a stronger understanding of responsible usage of the tech, including the principles of AI bias and profession-specific risks.
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More specifically, the programmes will enable practitioners in the accountancy sector to automate manual tasks such as financial reporting and compliance monitoring.
Legal professionals can also leverage AI for research, document review and contract management, allowing them to focus more on analysis, strategy and client engagement.
As AI developments continue to impact the tech sector, the government will also continue to deepen tech capabilities within the tech workforce, including software engineers.
This will be done through more training opportunities that allow software engineers to become full-stack developers with the ability to orchestrate complex systems and workflows using AI agents.
These agents differ from traditional and generative AI, which typically respond to user prompts but lack the ability to initiate actions on their own.
More support for SMEs
To push for more AI adoption at an enterprise level, the government aims to support 10,000 enterprises over the next three years.
Teo noted that currently, 15 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises and about seven in 10 workers use AI in some way.
To lower the AI adoption barrier for enterprises, IMDA and Enterprise Singapore have curated and pre-approved market-proven, cost-effective solutions from reputable vendors, with grant support to reduce the adoption price.
“We want to encourage those who haven’t started to take the first step,” she said, noting that small businesses stand to gain the most from adopting AI.
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