) or https:// as an added precaution.1. Good morning to all. Welcome to the Training and Adult Education (TAE) Conference 2026.
Converging Towards CET Excellence
2. This conference is taking place amidst very important changes in our economic environment.
- Transformative technologies like AI and advanced robotics are reshaping the future of work. The question is now no longer whether to use AI, but more of how we augment our people with AI to become more productive than before.
- This rapid technological advancement also means the half-life of skills is shorter than before.
- And this is even before we discuss the disruptions in geopolitics and supply change reorientations!
- The Government is therefore working closely with the private sector, our unions, and stakeholders on the Economic Strategy Review to chart a forward-looking economic blueprint, to secure good opportunities in this changed world for our businesses and create good jobs for our workers.
- In particular, the Economic Strategy Review's Human Capital Committee is focusing on strengthening our greatest asset; our people. We want to empower every worker to take charge of their careers and upskilling journey.
- Our SkillsFuture movement, which was launched over a decade ago, gives us a strong foundation to do this.
3. I am therefore glad that today's conference theme, Converging towards CET Excellence, focuses on our shared mission of being responsive to the latest industry and technological trends.
4. To further strengthen our training ecosystem to help our companies and workers, SSG has worked hard to deliver three "Cs".
Clarity: Understanding Labour Market Trends and Skills Needs
5. The first C is Clarity.
- When our trainers and leaders know which are the in demand skills and the context in where they are needed, they will know how to help our workers benefit from them.
- This is why SSG has been working with agencies to develop capabilities in jobs-skills intelligence, using advanced data and AI technologies.
- These tools help us interpret labour market signals in real time, tracking evolving job roles, determining which tasks are gaining prominence across sectors and identify in-demand and emerging skills needs.
- This is always a work-in-progress given the pace of change, and we need to work together to share data and to identify evolving skills needs in real time so that our workers continue to stay ahead of the curve.
6. Allow me to share some insights from SSG's latest jobs-skills analysis.
- From 2022 to 2025, demand for AI-related capabilities more than doubled.
- Generative AI-related skills, such as 'Generative AI Principles and Applications', experienced the fastest growth in demand.
- This reflects the growing importance of AI in all jobs, and a fundamental shift where every worker needs to be AI-ready.
7. AI tools can now automate almost a quarter of work tasks. Therefore we need to help all workers learn to use AI, and also learn beyond AI. This means strengthening skills like critical thinking and decision making, and other skills that only humans can do.
8. These jobs and skill insights are specifically available to you through the Jobs-Skills portal, to help you achieve clarity to deliver positive outcomes.
Communication: Making Insights and Resources Accessible to All
9. The second C is communication.
10. With Clarity over in demand skills, we then need to communicate these to our learners and the industry so they can make informed decisions on their training to be future-ready.
11. One tool that can help is SSG's TalentTrack.
- It is a resource specially developed to help employers curate skills and training recommendations for their company and employees' needs, based on data from jobs-skills insights.
- More than 35,000 employers have used TalentTrack since its launch in August, and over 1,500 employees have been enrolled for training courses to help them become future-ready.
12. And from TalentTrack, we now have TalentTrack+.
- TalentTrack+ integrates with the Careers and Skills Passport so employers can view Government-verified skills and employment information of their employees.
- This helps employers build their capability in skills-first hiring and workforce development, and secures better matches with jobseekers.
13. We are also establishing mechanisms to strengthen timely communication between employers, training providers and government agencies.
14. With better Communication, we can all work together to do well for our companies and workers.
Confidence: for Individuals, Companies, and Training Providers
15. And the last C is Confidence.
16. With the enhanced market surveillance insights and signposting tools, we want to help all of you build confidence as we upskill our workforce to be ready in this changed world.
- For our workers, to help you make informed career and training decisions, identify skill gaps, and receive personalised training recommendations to achieve your career objectives.
- For our companies, to help you make better workforce planning and strategic investments in your workforce development to be future-ready and to support your business objectives.
- For training providers, to help you gain unprecedented insights into market demand so you can be more agile in course design and delivery to meet client needs. You play a crucial role in our effort to help our companies and workers to be future-ready.
Conclusion
17. To conclude, our Government and SSG are committed to working together to help our businesses and workers navigate the changes that are coming, and be future-ready. With good clarity over what we need to do, good communication between all the different stakeholders, we will all have the confidence to navigate this changed world.
18. Together, we have built a training ecosystem that is not just responsive but seeks to be future-ready, and I'm confident that we will all be able to make Singapore better no matter how the world changes. Thank you.