Ngee Ann Poly grads to get free AI courses, as over 25,000 students graduate across 5 polys

SINGAPORE – All Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) graduates can attend four free courses on artificial intelligence, including a new course designed to help individuals effectively blend AI capabilities with human-centric skills.

Some of these can be stacked up with other courses to earn full qualifications such as a specialist diploma, said Education Minister Desmond Lee on May 4.

“As AI continues to advance rapidly, I encourage you to take advantage of these courses to stay at the cutting edge,” he said, speaking on the first day of NP’s graduation ceremonies held at the campus in Clementi.

The event marked the beginning of the graduation season across all five polytechnics, with a total of more than 25,000 students expected to graduate by May 11.

These graduates include students from Continuing Education and Training (CET) tracks, which are programmes designed specifically for working professionals and adult learners to upgrade their skills, pivot to new careers, or pursue personal development.

The four free courses NP is offering to its graduates include the newest Human-First AI Core, which aims to equip learners with the thoughtful application of AI.

The other three are Generative AI For Productivity, Empowering Your Workforce With Generative Artificial Intelligence, and Programming For Analytics.

Participants can choose to attend any or all of these courses.

Application details for these courses, which start in October, will be out in June. Students will need to pay a $50 administrative fee for each course.

These courses are only for NP graduates. Other free AI courses available include AI For Everyone (AI4E) by AI Singapore, a free four-hour course designed to introduce students and working professionals to AI and its potential in the workplace.

Singaporeans taking selected AI training courses through SkillsFuture will be eligible for six months of free access to premium AI tools starting from the second half of 2026.

Addressing the graduating NP cohort, Mr Lee, who is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration, said that they are entering a workforce shaped by geopolitical contestation, trade tensions and supply chain disruptions.

He added that rapid advancements in technologies like generative AI are fundamentally transforming how people work, live and learn.

“Our institutes of higher learning are making AI-related courses more accessible to help graduates like you use AI confidently in your work,” he said.

During the ceremony, Mr Lee presented the inaugural SkillsFuture Lifelong Learning Award to three recipients from NP. There were 15 recipients of this award across the five polytechnics.

The award – jointly launched by SkillsFuture Singapore, the five polytechnics, and ITE – recognises individuals who embody the spirit of upskilling and drive positive impact in their workplaces. Each recipient receives $1,000.

Ms Serene Soh, 56, one of NP’s recipients of the award, transitioned from a career in banking to work in youth advocacy. She took a Specialist Diploma in Youth Development and Mental Wellness at NP in 2024 after getting retrenched from her banking job in 2023 due to company restructuring.

“I’ve always been passionate about youth work... I felt I needed the right skills and knowledge to communicate with them effectively, instead of just relying on my motherly instincts,” said the mother of two. In 2023, she started volunteering as a youth befriender at Salvation Army, cooking and befriending underserved and lower-income youth who went to the centre after school.

“My role was to get to know them and befriend them. When I got closer to them, they would tell me their problems and (I would) be their listening ear,” Ms Soh said. “That was what motivated me to take the course with NP.”

Going back to studying was not easy for Ms Soh. The learning curve was steep because of digital platforms like Discord and Padlet, tools that were foreign to her, as was the course itself. “A lot of the theories and concepts were new to me, for example, learning about the various clinical conditions, medical conditions that youth may face.”

She added that she learnt about things as simple as group facilitation and the practical tips and engagement techniques she could use to engage the youth and make a session more engaging and interactive.

She successfully applied her studies to her role as board member at social service agency Ascending Hope Community Services, where she chairs the youth committee. She is also leading a youth programme focused on addiction and mental health.

“I was able to apply almost immediately what I learnt in school with the youth,” she said. “The course (at NP) gave me confidence to lead this programme.”

Ms Soh said she will remain on the board at Ascending Hope Community Services, and plans to explore an advanced diploma to deepen her knowledge as she prepares to move into the social service sector.

Several inaugural graduate cohorts also featured across the other polytechnics. At Singapore Polytechnic, 1,890 students from 28 diploma courses became the first to receive the Certificate of Achievement in Teamwork, a new credential recognising top collaborators.

Republic Polytechnic (RP) celebrated its first graduate cohort in the Talent Advancement Programme (TAP), designed to accelerate career pathways for full-time hospitality students – nearly half of the 120 hospitality students had secured job offers before graduation.

Another first graduate cohort at RP saw 49 students receive the Diploma in Tourism Management with Technology, a programme designed to support high-value tourism projects like Changi Airport Terminal 5 through IoT and data analytics.

Temasek Polytechnic marked the graduation of 137 adult learners from five new part-time specialist diplomas, including Applied Autism Studies and Sustainability Reporting.

At Nanyang Polytechnic, 535 graduates from the School of Design & Media became the first batch to complete their diplomas under the Professional Competency Model, which uses a curriculum co-created with industry leaders. These graduates were from diploma courses including Animation, Games & Visual Effects and Architecture.