AI training initiative for tech professionals to include final-year students

Final-year Information and Digital Technologies (IDT) students will be able to upskill themselves in artificial intelligence (AI) through a new initiative under Singapore’s TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) programme. 

Announcing this on Friday, Singapore Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information, Tan Kiat How, said the students would be covered under a plan to upskill 40,000 tech professionals over the next three years. 

As part of this effort, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and AI Singapore (AISG) have launched AIxTech, an AI fluency programme designed to equip tech professionals with technical and responsible AI skills. 

Developed in collaboration with more than 30 leading tech firms, AI Centres of Excellence, government agencies, and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), the AIxTech curriculum has been rigorously refined to ensure a strong learning experience, IMDA said in a statement. 

A working group co-led by IMDA with Workforce Singapore (WSG), in partnership with the Singapore Computer Society (SCS), SGTech, and the Tech Talent Assembly (TTAB), an affiliate of the NTUC, would ensure these programmes remained responsive to how AI was reshaping the industry and evolving tech roles. 

New cohort of digital leaders 

IMDA also welcomed a new cohort of 21 SG Digital Leaders, expanding its tech leadership community to more than 1,600 leaders driving AI and frontier technology conversations from Singapore.  

Together, these initiatives were designed to help build the skilled tech workforce needed to support Singapore’s digital economy ambitions while nurturing both current and future generations of tech leaders.  

The AIxTech initiative would complement the National AI Impact Programme to train 100,000 non-tech professionals to be AI bilingual by 2029, announced at the Committee of Supply (COS) 2026. 

Speaking at the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) Gala Dinner and Tech Leader Awards 2026 last Friday, Tan said that under the AIxTech, learners would gain access to a wide portfolio of leading AI tools from around the world. 

He added that these tools would be refreshed regularly to stay relevant as the technology evolves. 

“Trainees will gain versatile, hands-on experience across leading AI coding solutions such as Claude, Codex, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, and Kiro,” he added.  

The training would cover, among others, prompt engineering, context management, "agent development," and responsible AI practices to mitigate risks like "context poisoning." 

Needs of busy professionals 

The minister noted that AIxTech was designed to meet the needs of busy professionals. 

While the first phase covered online modules with hands-on coding workflow training that professionals could fit around their work schedules, the second phase offered post-course support primarily through an expert-led learning community to help these professionals apply their new skills to their workplaces.  

Responsible AI development was an integral part of the programme from the start and was not bolted on as an afterthought, the Minister noted.  

“As our professionals build with AI, they should also be equipped to do so safely, ethically, and accountably,” he said. 

IMDA noted that the AIxTech programme had already generated significant traction among tech organisations such as NCS and ST Engineering. 

There was also interest from the banking sector, particularly OCBC and Standard Chartered) expressing interest in enrolling their employees.  

This early response reflects its alignment with real business needs, and as organisations continue to strengthen AI capabilities in an increasingly AI-driven economy, IMDA said.