In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Where to find funded AI courses
- 02Subsidy rates when the company pays (October 2026)
- 03When staff pay themselves: SkillsFuture Credit
- 04The free AI subscription attached to AI courses
- 05What to look for in an AI course syllabus
- 06A simple AI training plan for a small team
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Search the SkillsFuture for Business course directory or MySkillsFuture for AI courses. If your SME sponsors the staff member, Enhanced Training Support for SMEs covers up to 90% of fees for Tier 1 courses and up to 70% for others, plus Absentee Payroll of S$4.50 an hour.
Where to find funded AI courses
Funded courses are listed in two government directories. The course page shows the full fee, the fee after subsidy and the next run dates.
- SkillsFuture for Business (GoBusiness): the employer view, with fees shown after company subsidies and the Enhanced Training Support for SMEs. Use this when the company is paying.
- MySkillsFuture: the individual view, where staff log in with Singpass to see their own fees and SkillsFuture Credit balance.
- SkillsFuture Series: a curated list of short courses on emerging skills. GoBusiness lists AI, Data and Analytics as one of its Digital Economy areas.
- Free options: AI Singapore's AI Fundamentals offers free self-paced courses on AI concepts, generative AI skills and responsible AI use.
Search terms that work: 'generative AI', 'prompt engineering', 'Copilot', 'AI for business', 'AI governance', plus your function, such as 'AI marketing' or 'AI finance'.
Subsidy rates when the company pays (October 2026)
When your business registers and pays for an employee, company-sponsored rates apply. SWDA's page on Enhanced Training Support for SMEs sets out the SME rates.
| Scheme | What it covers | Rate or amount | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETSS, Tier 1 courses | Course fees for SkillsFuture Series and similar emerging-skills courses | Up to 90% of course fees | SMEs; SC, PR or LTVP+ staff |
| ETSS, Tier 2 courses | Course fees for other SWDA-approved courses | Up to 70% of course fees | SMEs; SC, PR or LTVP+ staff |
| Absentee Payroll | Part of the staff member's salary while on training | S$4.50 per hour, max S$100,000 per company a year | Employers paying CPF for the staff |
| SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (Enhanced) | Upfront offset of programme costs | Fresh S$10,000 credit; launches 1 Dec 2026 | Details to be announced by SWDA |
SWDA defines an SME for ETSS as registered or incorporated in Singapore, with no more than 200 employees or annual turnover of no more than S$100 million. Courses must be fully paid by the employer. SWDA's Absentee Payroll page says the employee must finish the course before you claim, and claims are paid by PayNow in about two and a half weeks.
When staff pay themselves: SkillsFuture Credit
Some staff prefer to sign up personally, for example for a course outside their current role. Then individual funding applies instead of ETSS.
- SkillsFuture Credit: SWDA's SkillsFuture Credit page lists a S$500 opening credit for Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above, and a S$4,000 mid-career credit at 40 for selected courses. Neither expires.
- Course fee subsidies: self-sponsored citizens and PRs also get baseline course fee subsidies, with higher rates for citizens aged 40 and above.
- Who decides: the staff member's credit is theirs, not the company's. Do not ask staff to use personal credit for training the business requires.
The free AI subscription attached to AI courses
From 16 September 2026, SWDA added a perk to more than 200 AI courses. MySkillsFuture's AI subscription page says Singapore Citizens aged 18 and above who attend an eligible course ending on 16 September 2026 or later can redeem one free 6-month AI subscription. Eligible courses carry a 'Free AI sub' label.
CNA reported that the choices include ChatGPT Plus, Google AI Pro, Manus AI, Microsoft 365 Personal and a Singtel AI Pass, under a three-year SkillsFuture AI Subscription initiative announced at Budget 2026.
What to look for in an AI course syllabus
Course titles sound alike. The syllabus, trainer and format tell you whether staff will come back able to do something new.
AI course checklist before you register staff
For data protection, our guide to choosing a business AI tool explains the difference between business and personal plans.
A simple AI training plan for a small team
Pick one approved tool first
Decide which AI tool the company will pay for and control, so training matches it.
Send one or two champions on a hands-on course
Choose a funded course built around that tool and your team's main tasks, such as writing, finance or marketing.
Have champions run a one-hour internal session
They show colleagues three prompts that work for your business, and the rules on data.
Write down the rules
One page: approved tools, what may and may not be pasted, who checks AI output before it goes to customers.
Review after a month
Ask what saved time and what went wrong, then decide whether a second course or outside help is worth it.
Government AI support for SMEs goes beyond training; our summary of IMDA's AI support for SMEs announced in October 2026 covers tool trials and grants. If you want someone to design AI workflows rather than train staff, see what to expect from an AI consultant in Singapore.
Do it yourself or get help?
Finding and booking a funded course takes an hour on the GoBusiness directory. The bigger risk is what happens afterwards: staff using personal AI accounts for work, or trusting AI output without checks.
Our Security Awareness Training (S$390) sets up short monthly lessons on phishing and Singapore scams with completion tracking. Use it alongside a funded AI course and a one-page AI rule so new skills do not create new risks.
Frequently asked questions
Many are. Hundreds of AI courses on MySkillsFuture and the SkillsFuture for Business directory are SWDA-funded. If an SME sponsors a Singaporean, PR or LTVP+ employee, Enhanced Training Support for SMEs covers up to 90% of fees for Tier 1 courses and up to 70% for other approved courses. Check each course page for the net fee.
Yes, for SWDA-funded courses. Absentee Payroll pays S$4.50 per hour of training for Singapore Citizens, PRs and LTVP+ holders you sponsor, capped at S$100,000 per company each calendar year. The employee must complete the course first, and you must be making CPF contributions for them.
From 16 September 2026, Singapore Citizens aged 18 and above who attend an eligible AI course can redeem one free six-month subscription to a premium AI tool. Eligible courses show a Free AI sub label on MySkillsFuture. Reported options include ChatGPT Plus, Google AI Pro and Microsoft 365 Personal. It is one per person.
Yes, if they sign up as individuals. Singapore Citizens get a S$500 opening credit from age 25 and a S$4,000 mid-career credit at 40 for selected courses. The credit belongs to the individual, so a business should pay through company sponsorship and ETSS for training it requires.
Choose a hands-on course built around the AI tool your business already uses, such as Copilot, Gemini or ChatGPT, with exercises on your team's real tasks. It should also cover checking AI output and data protection. Look at the learning outcomes, trainer background and recent ratings before you register.