Budget 2026: New SME AI Skills Launchpad to help businesses elevate AI awareness, adopt solutions
A new self-diagnostic tool will also be launched to help workers assess their AI readiness level and training needs
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[SINGAPORE] SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will roll out a new SME AI Skills Launchpad progressively from March to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in navigating and adapting to artificial intelligence (AI).
The launch pad aims to help workers in SMEs improve their AI awareness and facilitate the adoption of AI solutions, said Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate on Tuesday (Mar 3).
The initiative comprises two components.
First, SSG and its industry partners will create a comprehensive page of AI resources on the SkillsFuture for Business portal to make it easier for employers to identify resources for their AI transformation.
Companies in all sectors can access curated course recommendations to help them transform their business processes and upskill their workers in AI. These courses will be available on the TalentTrack platform, which is a free workforce planning tool for businesses.
Second, companies looking for more curated offerings in their sectors can tap support offered by SkillsFuture Queen Bees. These are industry leaders appointed by SSG to advocate skills development to smaller enterprises.
All SkillsFuture Queen Bees will offer free AI masterclasses and advisory services to SMEs in their sectors. This is expected to benefit about 2,000 employers over the next three years, said Dr Puthucheary.
In addition, a self-diagnostic AI tool will be launched by the second quarter of 2026 to help workers assess their AI readiness level and training needs.
The tool will be developed by SSG in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Through a short set of questions, individuals will be grouped into various worker archetypes reflecting their AI readiness levels. They will then receive SSG-supported course recommendations appropriate for their readiness level.
The self-diagnostic AI tool will be launched together with the revamped MySkillsFuture portal, which is being redesigned to provide users with a more customised experience and to encourage industry-relevant upskilling, including in AI.
Minister of State for Education Jasmin Lau noted on Tuesday that in the coming years, AI literacy will be as fundamental a skill as digital literacy is today.
But literacy alone is insufficient, she said, adding that workers must develop fluency – which is “the ability to apply AI meaningfully within their own domain, solve real problems and create value in their organisations”.
From the second half of 2026, all institutes of higher learning will offer selected AI-related courses for alumni at a significant discount for one year.
The aim is to better support alumni in accessing AI upskilling post-graduation. Individual institutions will release more details in time to come.
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