Our workers cannot be an afterthought in business transformation: PM Wong

The Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) has launched 200 courses on artificial intelligence (AI), Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Wednesday (Sept 16).

He was speaking at the SkillsFuture Summit for Businesses 2026 held at the Lifelong Learning Institute, which is also the first SkillsFuture Festival under SWDA.

This year's SkillsFuture Festival takes places from Sept 16 to Oct 28 and will feature 140 events and about 450 job opportunities island-wide.

The SWDA which was formed through a merger of SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore officially began operations in July.

Under SWDA's SkillsFuture AI Subscription initiative, Singaporeans will have access to 200 courses on artificial intelligence (AI) and a complimentary six-month subscription to AI tools.

Through this, SWDA hopes to bolster AI-readiness in Singapore's workforce.

"The world of work is changing," PM Wong said. "With technology advancing rapidly businesses must now transform more quickly.

"Skills are becoming obsolete faster, careers will involve more pivots and transitions, and businesses must transform more quickly as technology reshapes work."

To help deliver better outcomes for workers and businesses, the SWDA must make three shifts, he said.

The first shift requires SWDA to connect Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) to training providers and employers so that IHLs can provide strong foundations and skills for employees to remain relevant.

PM Wong stated: "SWDA must continually review and refresh the course offerings, and work closely with training providers and industry to keep training relevant and up to date."

Next, businesses and workers must also transform together — often, it is the workforce that is left behind as business decisions are made.

"Our workers cannot be an afterthought in business transformation," PM Wong said.

"When a company transforms, its workers should have the chance to transform with it."

Through SWDA, the Government can help employees and businesses work closer together, allowing transformations to occur for both simultaneously.

PM Wong also explained that for the third shift SWDA must ensure support systems for businesses and employees are easier to navigate.

While there may be many schemes, programmes and providers in place, people may not know which agency to approach to find aid.

" We do need to streamline and be more customer-centric... 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," PM Wong said.

To achieve the three shifts, the SWDA has launched Connect, a one-stop careers and skills service touchpoint for individuals and employers.

Connect aims to help individuals find careers catered to their skills, career practitioners seeking professional development and employers who want advice on workforce development and transformation.

Aside from Connect, SWDA also announced two other key initiatives, including the rolling-out of the SkillsFuture AI Subscription initiative.

The agency has also launched OurWorkforce, a one-stop portal for employers.

This portal replaces the current SkillsFuture for Business website and provides employers with training and workforce development initiatives to help them find relevant courses, solutions and advice when needed, including on AI.

"Our task is to make sure that Singaporeans are not overwhelmed by the changes— but are equipped and ready seize the opportunities," PM Wong said.

He added, addressing Singaporeans: "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... but you will never have to face these challenges alone."

The event also saw attendance from Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau and Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary.

Acting Minister Lau added: "Our hope is that all Singaporeans become a lot more confident in using AI and get more comfortable as work changes... regardless of where your starting point is, we want to help you to learn, to practice, and to become more confident."

khooyihang@asiaone.com

总理黄循财周三（9月16日）表示，技能与劳动力发展局（SWDA）已推出200门人工智能（AI）课程。

他是在2026年企业技能创前程峰会上发表讲话的，该峰会在终身学习学院举行，也是新加坡技能发展局 (SWDA) 举办的首届技能创前程节。

今年的技能创前程节将于9月16日至10月28日举行，届时将在全岛范围内举办140场活动，提供约450个就业机会。

由新加坡技能创前程局和新加坡劳动力发展局合并而成的新加坡技能发展局于7月正式开始运营。

根据新加坡技能发展署 (SWDA) 的“技能创前程人工智能订阅计划”，新加坡人将可以访问 200 门人工智能 (AI) 课程，并获得 6 个月的免费 AI 工具订阅服务。

通过此举，SWDA希望提高新加坡劳动力的AI适应能力。

黄循财总理表示：“工作环境正在发生变化。随着科技的飞速发展，企业现在必须加快转型步伐。”

“随着技术重塑工作方式，技能过时的速度越来越快，职业生涯将涉及更多的转型和变动，企业也必须加快转型步伐。”

他表示，为了帮助工人和企业取得更好的成果，SWDA 必须采取三项措施。

第一个转变要求SWDA将高等教育机构（IHL）与培训机构和雇主联系起来，以便高等教育机构能够为员工提供坚实的基础和技能，使其保持竞争力。

黄总理表示：“社会福利发展署必须不断审查和更新课程设置，并与培训机构和行业密切合作，以保持培训的相关性和时效性。”

其次，企业和员工也必须共同转型——在制定商业决策时，往往是员工被抛在了后面。

黄循财总理表示：“在企业转型过程中，不能忽视我们的员工。”

“当一家公司转型时，其员工也应该有机会与公司一起转型。”

通过社会福利发展署（SWDA），政府可以帮助员工和企业更紧密地合作，从而使双方同时发生变革。

黄总理还解释说，对于第三班次，社会福利发展署必须确保企业和员工的支持系统更容易使用。

虽然可能有很多计划、项目和提供者，但人们可能不知道应该联系哪个机构寻求帮助。

黄总理表示：“我们确实需要简化流程，更加以客户为中心……而这正是SWDA将努力的方向，即提供一个更简单、更连贯的流程，以满足员工和企业的需求。”

为了实现这三个转变，新加坡社会发展署推出了 Connect，这是一个面向个人和雇主的职业和技能服务一站式平台。

Connect 旨在帮助个人找到适合自己技能的职业，帮助职业从业者寻求专业发展，并帮助雇主获得有关劳动力发展和转型方面的建议。

除了 Connect 之外，SWDA 还宣布了另外两项重要举措，包括推出 SkillsFuture AI 订阅计划。

该机构还推出了 OurWorkforce，这是一个面向雇主的一站式门户网站。

该门户网站取代了当前的“技能创前程企业”网站，为雇主提供培训和劳动力发展计划，帮助他们在需要时找到相关的课程、解决方案和建议，包括人工智能方面的建议。

黄循财总理表示：“我们的任务是确保新加坡人不会被这些变化压垮，而是做好准备，抓住机遇。”

他对新加坡人说：“如果你愿意学习、适应并付出努力，我们将帮助你培养所需的技能，并找到前进的道路。”

“你可能需要换工作，可能需要学习新技能……但你永远不会独自面对这些挑战。”

人力部代理部长刘嘉敏和教育部高级政务部长贾尼尔·普图切里也出席了此次活动。

刘代政部长补充道：“我们希望所有新加坡人都能更加自信地使用人工智能，并随着工作方式的改变而更加适应……无论你的起点如何，我们都想帮助你学习、实践，并变得更加自信。”

khooyihang@asiaone.com