Annex A, B and C
16 Sep 2026
SWDA Launches New Initiatives to Strengthen Careers, Skills Development and AI Readiness
Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Mr Lawrence Wong launched the SkillsFuture Festival 2026 and officiated the opening of Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA)’s new integrated careers and skills service touchpoint – Connect by SWDA, at the Lifelong Learning Institute today. Ms Jasmin Lau, Acting Minister for Manpower and Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and Mr Shawn Huang, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Manpower, were also in attendance.
The newly launched Connect by SWDA at the Lifelong Learning Institute today will provide more integrated support for individuals and employers across their careers, skills and workforce development journeys. The new careers and skills service touchpoint brings together the former Lifelong Learning Exploration Centre and Careers Connect, which were operated by Lifelong Learning Singapore (a subsidiary of SkillsFuture Singapore) and Workforce Singapore respectively. This would tighten the nexus between careers and skills and provide a seamless pathway for individuals seeking personalised careers and skills support, and career practitioners seeking professional development. Employers can also leverage this to seek tailored advisory on workforce development and transformation. For more information on Connect by SWDA, please refer to Annex A.
This year’s festival marks an important milestone as the first SkillsFuture Festival under SWDA. As SWDA leads the next chapter of the SkillsFuture movement, it will focus on three key areas:
- Enabling individuals to take ownership of their learning and career journeys, and access career and learning opportunities at every stage of their careers through integrated services, touchpoints, and labour market information,
- Equipping employers with the capability to design good jobs and invest in workforce development to build a future-ready workforce, and
- Building a more integrated, responsive and high-quality training, career and employment services ecosystem that will support career transitions, and the industry needs of individuals and employers.
Together, these efforts will strengthen the nexus between skills, careers and business transformation to better support Singaporeans to build their career health and resilience, and employers to develop a skilled and future-ready workforce. SWDA will also identify emerging and in-demand skills, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills, to help individuals and employers prepare for changes in the economy. As part of these efforts, SWDA announced three key initiatives today:
- Opening of Connect by SWDA as a one-stop careers and skills service touchpoint to bring together careers and skills support for individuals and employers.
- Roll-out of SkillsFuture AI Subscription initiative with a curated catalogue of over 200 AI courses.
- Launch of the OurWorkforce portal to provide employers with a one-stop easy access to workforce programmes, and training resources.
Seamless Experience for Individuals and Employers seeking Careers and Skills Support - Opening of Connect by SWDA
The newly launched Connect by SWDA at the Lifelong Learning Institute today will provide more integrated support for individuals and employers across their careers, skills and workforce development journeys. The new careers and skills service touchpoint brings together the former Lifelong Learning Exploration Centre and Careers Connect, which were operated by Lifelong Learning Singapore (a subsidiary of SkillsFuture Singapore) and Workforce Singapore respectively. This would tighten the nexus between careers and skills and provide a seamless pathway for individuals seeking personalised careers and skills support, and career practitioners seeking professional development. Employers can also leverage this to seek tailored advisory on workforce development and transformation. For more information on Connect by SWDA, please refer to Annex A.
Enabling Individuals and Employers to Navigate an AI-Enabled Workplace - SWDA’s AI Initiatives
To support the workforce in the transition to AI, SWDA has rolled out a suite of AI resources. This comprises a curated catalogue of more than 200 AI courses and a complimentary six-month subscription to selected premium AI tools, to enable individuals to build skills and gain confidence to use AI effectively. In addition, SWDA has partnered with Singapore Institute of Technology to develop the AI Ready Quiz where individuals can assess their AI readiness and identify relevant courses for upskilling in AI capabilities. For more information on SWDA’s AI initiatives, please refer to the factsheet.
One-Stop Easy Access for Employers to Navigate Customised Jobs and Skills Resources Digitally - Launch of OurWorkforce Portal
To make it easier for employers to navigate support and resources for their training, job redesign and workforce transformation needs, SWDA has also launched OurWorkforce, a new one-stop portal for employers. The portal replaces the current SkillsFuture for Business website and brings together SWDA’s collective suite of training and workforce development initiatives for employers under a unified digital shopfront. Through the portal, employers can discover relevant training courses and workforce development solutions, and receive customised recommendations based on their business needs. They can also access digital tools to identify opportunities for transformation, redesign jobs and adopt AI effectively. Employers can also leverage these AI initiatives on OurWorkforce portal to support employees in building the skills required to harness AI effectively at work.
Ms Dilys Boey, Chief Executive of SWDA said: “As jobs, skills and businesses evolve, individuals and enterprises need support that is more seamless, accessible and responsive. The formation of SWDA reflects our commitment to bring skills development, workforce transformation and employer support closer together. Through continued partnerships, more integrated services and initiatives, we aim to help individuals make full use of the learning opportunities, build career resilience and confidence, while enabling enterprises to develop workforce capabilities.”
SkillsFuture Festival 2026
Themed “Unboxing New Opportunities in an AI-Enabled Economy”, the opening event of the festival – SkillsFuture Summit for Businesses – featured a panel discussion with leaders from various industries, academia and trade associations. The discussion examined the opportunities and challenges AI presents for businesses and the workforce, and the strategies needed for businesses to remain competitive in an AI-enabled economy. For more information on the panellists, please refer to Annex B.
The SkillsFuture Festival 2026 takes place from 16 September to 28 October, featuring more than 140 events island-wide for individuals and enterprises. The festival will offer individuals opportunities to explore career and skills development, while supporting enterprises in building workforce capabilities to meet evolving business needs. For a list of key events, please refer to Annex C. More information on all other events will also be available on the SkillsFuture Festival 2026 website at: https://www.skillsfuturefestival.sg.
Factsheet
