Course Enrolments Surge as AI Fever Grips Singapore's Workforce
Source: The Straits Times
The spike in artificial intelligence course enrolments that followed the expiry of a one-off SkillsFuture Credit top-up has turned into a sustained boom for Singapore's training providers, with class sizes, revenue, and corporate demand all climbing.
The spike in artificial intelligence course enrolments that followed the expiry of a one-off SkillsFuture Credit top-up has turned into a sustained boom for Singapore's training providers, with class sizes, revenue, and corporate demand all climbing. AI-related programmes now dominate the learning landscape, and the shift shows no sign of slowing.
Heicoders Academy, one of Singapore's better-known AI training providers, reports that generative AI programmes now account for roughly 80 per cent of its revenue, with profit from AI courses growing about 100 per cent year on year for three consecutive years. More than 3,000 learners enrolled in its AI programmes in 2026 alone. Info-Tech Academy saw enrolments jump 2,070 per cent in 2025 compared with the year before, and another 514 per cent from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026. Across the sector, demand has moved beyond basic chatbot usage — learners are asking for deeper understanding of how AI systems work, their limitations, and how to deploy them responsibly.
The learner profile tells an interesting story about who is investing in AI skills. About 60 per cent of course participants are company-sponsored, 30 per cent are self-funded professionals and business owners, and only 10 per cent are fresh graduates or job seekers. The typical student is a working professional looking to apply AI in their existing role or pivot into an AI-adjacent function. Fees range from a few hundred dollars to four-figure sums, and the post-subsidy cost is often manageable thanks to SkillsFuture Credits and other government offsets.
Why it matters for Singapore: The sustained enrolment boom suggests that Singapore's AI upskilling push has moved past the initial hype phase and into genuine structural demand. Employers are voting with their training budgets — 60 per cent sponsorship means companies see a direct return from having AI-literate teams. For a small, open economy that has bet its next growth phase on AI adoption, a workforce actively investing in AI capabilities is exactly the signal policymakers want to see.