SINGAPORE – Nearly 2,000 tech roles and training opportunities are open to fresh graduates and mid-career professionals looking to upskill or switch careers, as part of an expanded government-led programme that partners with companies such as Accenture, NCS and Microsoft.These roles span artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data and software in more than 20 companies, under new partnerships led by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The roles include those of software engineers, security analysts and data scientists.These are fields where Singapore’s manpower needs continue to grow, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Aug 20, in announcing the new Company-Led Training programme.The programme comes under an expanded IMDA TechSkills Accelerator initiative, which traditionally focuses on helping tech and non-tech professionals pick up digital skills and move into technology careers.Teo was speaking to around 800 attendees, including tech and business leaders, at the Singapore Computer Society-organised Tech3 Forum 2026 held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.Recognising that AI has made certain tech skills such as coding a basic commodity, she urged the room of tech and business professionals to double down on developing human judgment instead of competing with what AI excels in.“This includes the need for us to develop a deep understanding of context, relationships, personal dynamics as well as a way to discern whether the consequences are simply too costly for some communities, and how to mitigate against that – such understanding comes with experience,” she added.“As AI becomes better at producing code, analysis and content, the premium on human judgement will rise – the judgment to know what needs solving, why some solutions are more likely to succeed or fail, and how do you take things forward.”Such understanding often comes with experience, she said, noting that some fresh graduates and mid-career professionals struggle to get their first break or move into new roles.These are challenges that the expanded IMDA’s Company-Led Training programme aims to address.Successful applicants will learn to use AI to develop applications and integrate it into enterprise systems in fields such as finance, healthcare, logistics and tech, said IMDA referring to the 2,000 tech openings. The full list of job roles are available on the authority’s website.As part of the national push to make workers confident about using AI in their own line of work, around 11,000 legal professionals will also be expected to learn how to use AI for daily tasks such as legal research and case analysis, through two newly launched AI courses.The AIxLegal programmes were co-developed by IMDA, the Singapore Academy of Law, and Singapore Corporate Counsel Association.Teo said that a person who has both AI skills and domain knowledge is potentially more effective and versatile.Similarly, Singapore can sharpen its competitive edge using AI, but this is not done by outspending the biggest spenders.Teo said: “Instead, our strategy is to build on existing strengths and secure a more decisive lead. This is why the national AI missions will focus initially on four key sectors that, together, contribute over 40 per cent to our GDP (gross domestic product) and provide jobs to hundreds of thousands Singaporeans.”The national AI missions, first laid out by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his Budget 2026 speech, seek to accelerate the development and use of AI solutions in advance manufacturing, connectivity, finance and healthcare.Teo cited the potential of Singapore’s advanced manufacturing sector, which produces 20 per cent of the world’s semiconductor equipment, and the country’s status as an international financial centre that uses AI as a growth engine.“Through the national AI missions, we aim to sustain an edge in these sectors and grow a vibrant AI hub in Singapore,” said Teo.“In doing so,” she added, citing how top-tier companies like OpenAI and Google DeepMind have set up shop here and strengthened Singapore’s AI ecosystem, “we can uphold our economic relevance, anchor high value activities and good jobs in Singapore.”For businesses, investing in upskilling and redesigning job roles and workflows is needed to stay relevant as AI-native companies enter the market with leaner cost structures and work processes, said Teo.She cited a recent visit to a start-up accelerator which was helping to develop solo entrepreneurs that use AI agents to look for suppliers and distributors, and develop sales and marketing campaigns.Said Teo: “Existing companies will certainly do better with adopting AI tools, and our National AI Impact Programme is designed to help them. However, it may only be a matter of time before your entire business model is challenged by these new solopreneurs.”Helping businesses create more value and tap AI is the main goal of IMDA’s Digital Leaders Accelerator Bootcamp, which is co-designed and delivered with tech company IBM, Boston Consulting Group and EY-Parthenon.Logistics provider Aeris Dynamics is among the companies that have undergone the programme, said Teo, adding that it has developed an AI platform to help automate the fulfilment process in Singapore and is planning to scale this across other markets, as well as market the solution to other logistics companies.“These efforts to stay relevant are not easy,” said Teo. “They require leaders who understand what AI makes possible, where it can help create value and when it should be deployed.”