# New skills agency opens one-stop career hub, rolls out free premium AI tools for course-takers > Source: > Published: 2026-09-16 04:00:00+00:00 # New skills agency opens one-stop career hub, rolls out free premium AI tools for course-takers Course attendees can select from a range of AI platforms, including ChatGPT Plus and Manus AI [SINGAPORE] The Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) opened a physical one-stop centre for workers and employers on Wednesday (Sep 16), offering free six-month subscriptions to premium artificial intelligence tools for Singaporeans who take up selected courses. This coincides with the first SkillsFuture Festival since SWDA was formed from the merger of SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore, announced in Budget 2026. The new centre, Connect by SWDA, will provide “more integrated support for individuals and employers across their careers, skills and workforce development journeys”, the agency said in a statement. It brings two former service points – the Lifelong Learning Exploration Centre and Careers Connect – under one roof, giving individuals a single pathway for personalised career and skills support. Employers can also seek tailored advice there on workforce development and transformation. Opening the festival, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the centre is ultimately about “helping businesses transform, and helping workers progress with them”. For workers, it is “where learning, career guidance and employment support come together”, he said – a place to “take stock of where you are”, understand where the opportunities lie, and get tailored advice on the skills and steps needed to seize them. Smaller businesses will get additional help, said PM Wong. This includes digital tools to self-diagnose and spot opportunities to transform, funding to offset some job redesign and workforce transformation costs, and guidance from SkillsFuture Queen Bees – companies that act as pathfinders, sharing what works and helping others in their sector uplift skills and redesign jobs. “Support will not stop at these four walls,” he added, noting that digital tools will increasingly make personalised guidance accessible “wherever Singaporeans are, and whenever they need it”. To that end, SWDA also launched OurWorkforce, an employer portal that replaces the SkillsFuture for Business website and offers tailored recommendations on training, job redesign and AI adoption. ## Free AI tools Under the three-year SkillsFuture AI Subscription initiative, Singaporeans aged 18 and older who enrol in and attend a course from a curated catalogue will receive a six-month free subscription to a premium AI tool. The initiative was first announced by PM Wong during Budget 2026. The catalogue has more than 200 courses from about 30 SWDA-supported training providers. Learners can choose from ChatGPT Plus, Google AI Pro, Manus AI, Microsoft 365 Personal or Singtel AI Pass, which bundles several AI tools. Each person is entitled to one subscription over the three years, regardless of how many courses they take. SWDA has also launched an AI Ready Quiz, developed with the Singapore Institute of Technology. The 12-question online assessment takes about 15 minutes, and places users in one of three tiers – AI Aware, AI Literate or AI Fluent – and recommends suitable courses. The initiatives support the National AI Impact Programme, which aims to train 100,000 workers to become “AI bilingual” over three years as a start. ## Three shifts PM Wong said the real test for SWDA is whether Singaporeans and employers “experience something different and better”. To get there, the agency must make three shifts: - Connect learning to jobs and careers, - Help businesses and workers transform together, and - Make the system easier to navigate. On training, courses must meet high standards and build skills that open up “real pathways”, said PM Wong – to better jobs, new roles or stronger career prospects. On business transformation, he noted that the workforce dimension is too often “treated as an HR matter after the business decisions have already been made”. ”The worker cannot be an afterthought in business transformation,” said PM Wong. SWDA chief executive Dilys Boey echoed this, saying individuals and enterprises need support that is “more seamless, accessible and responsive” as jobs skills and businesses evolve. The agency’s formation reflects a commitment to “to bring skills development, workforce transformation and employer support closer together”, she said. The SkillsFuture Festival runs until Oct 28, with more than 140 events island-wide. Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free. Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.