IMDA to upskill 40,000 tech professionals over three years amid AI disruption

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) plans to upskill 40,000 tech professionals over the next three years.

This will include final-year information and digital technologies (IDT) students, said the authority on Friday (8 May), adding that it aims to help tech professionals “stay current with rapid advances” in artificial intelligence.

The initiative falls under the National AI Impact Programme (NAIIP), and is an expansion of the TechSkills Accelerator Programme (TeSA) that was launched in 2016. AI fluency programmes will be developed through “strategic collaborations with industry partners”, said IMDA.

One such programme is AIxTech, which is designed to equip tech professionals with “technical and responsible AI skills throughout the software engineering life cycle”.

Launched by IMDA and AI Singapore, AIxTech will grant trainees access to AI coding solutions such as Claude, Codex, and Gemini, and these will be “regularly reviewed and refreshed to keep pace with industry changes”.

Final-year IDT students who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents can attend AIxTech for free, IMDA said.

The authority added that the programme “has already generated significant traction”, adding that organisations in tech and non-tech sectors have expressed interest.
 

“This early response reflects (AIxTech’s) alignment with real business needs and as organisations continue to strengthen AI capabilities in an increasing AI-driven economy.”

To ensure that programmes under the initiative “remain responsive to how AI is reshaping the industry and evolving tech roles”, IMDA will co-lead a work group with Workforce Singapore.

The work group will “study the future of tech work”, engaging members and networks from its partners: the Singapore Computer Society, SGTech, and the Tech Talent Assembly.

“The insights will help the work group understand how tech teams, jobs, and skills are changing, and ensure its recommendations remain relevant to the needs of the tech professionals,” IMDA said.

“They will also shape future initiatives to build the AI-fluent tech workforce Singapore needs to power its digital economy ambitions.”

Since its launch, TeSA has helped more than 24,300 locals get placements in tech domains such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, and AI, IMDA said. More than 440,000 individuals have been upskilled with tech skills through the programme.
 

Fresh cohort of SG Digital Leaders

IMDA also announced 21 new SG Digital Leaders (SGDLs), expanding its tech leadership community to over 1,600.
 

Launched in 2022, the Singapore Digital Leadership Accelerator is aimed at developing a pipeline of tech leaders in Singapore’s digital ecosystem.

Through the accelerator, tech leaders at different career stages receive “targeted support, from C-suite preparation and mentorship by global tech executives for senior leaders, to business development networks for founders and entrepreneurs”.

Among the latest batch of SGDLs is:

• Shanice Choo, Asia-Pacific innovation lead at Clifford Chance;
• Lum Chune Yang, co-founder and CEO of aerospace company Speqtral; and
• Dr Alvin Chan, CEO of brain health tech company Neeuro.

IMDA said the latest initiatives will “complement earlier NAIIP efforts to train 100,000 non-tech professionals to be AI bilingual by 2029”, a push announced at this year’s Committee of Supply.
 

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