Singapore is ramping up efforts to meet the region’s growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing with the launch of the Skills Pathway for Cloud. The initiative, a collaboration between the Singapore Computer Society (SCS), Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), offers eligible locals with industry-led upskilling programmes in cloud technology.
The programmes, which are open to both fresh entrants and mid-career professionals, offer structured training, industry-recognized certifications, and internships. It also provides job interview opportunities with participating employers, including DBS, Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies, HTX, and ST Engineering.
Singapore’s Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, said the Skills Pathway can help the country’s AI-driven transformation by building a pipeline of job-ready professionals for the labour market. She added that, with AI as the ‘new national language’ of Singapore, it will help grow the local pool of ‘bilingual AI talents’.
“We believe these bilingual AI talents will be highly valued, and building them up presents a real opportunity for Singapore. They will be pathfinders and pacesetters for meaningful AI adoption everywhere,” Teo told attendees at the Tech³ Forum on Friday. “Their mother tongues are their domain or functional expertise. It is a language they have already mastered. With help, they can learn the language of AI.”
The initiative is the second Skills Pathway developed by SCS in partnership with SSG. It previously launched the Skills Pathway for Cybersecurity in 2024, which has helped more than 180 individuals secure internships and employment.
“From the first skills pathway for cybersecurity to our current extension, we have been able to directly engage employers, industry leaders, government agencies, and training providers,” said SCS Skills Pathway’s Chairman, Edward Chen.
Demand for tech jobs in Singapore has surged to 214,000 in 2024 from 172,000 in 2019, with cloud, network, and infrastructure roles taking up the lion’s share. Three in four Singaporean workers were also reported to be using AI tools regularly at work, with 85% saying that AI helped to improve their workflows, according to the IMDA.