Stricter SkillsFuture course funding guidelines for 9,500 courses across 500 training providers

SINGAPORE – Training providers seeking approval for course funding need to adhere to stricter guidelines by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), so that they develop training programmes in line with industry needs.

The agency gave updates on Jan 27 about its moves to tighten course funding guidelines to maintain quality.

These requirements came into effect from Dec 31, 2025, and apply to 500 training providers which offer 9,500 courses, it said.

The changes cover courses that develop in-demand skills for a person’s current job or profession. Some of these skills include food safety and hygiene, workplace safety and health, service excellence, and threat intelligence and detection.

Courses that cater to emerging skills, or that seek to equip a person to take on a substantially different job, such as courses under the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme, are not affected by the change.

For existing courses to be eligible for funding renewal from Dec 31, 2025, at least 40 per cent of the participants must be sponsored by employers.

This requirement serves as an indication of industry relevance as such courses would be demanded and needed by employers and companies, said SSG.

And from June 1, 2026, existing courses seeking funding renewal must obtain at least a 75 per cent response rate for the Training Quality and Outcomes Measurement (TRAQOM) survey, and must not fall into the lower quantile of the TRAQOM ratings.

As for new courses that training providers are seeking SSG funding for from Dec 31, 2025, they must meet either of two criteria.

One criterion is that at least 50 per cent of the skills delivered in each course must be on the Course Approval Skills List on the Training Partners Gateway website.

This is a list of skills identified by SSG and other government agencies that support good growth jobs and are important for Singapore’s economy.

The alternative criterion is for the courses to be recognised under regulatory or professional development frameworks endorsed by designated course endorsement bodies on the Training Partners Gateway website.

These bodies endorse mandatory skills-based training courses or Workforce Skills Qualifications-accredited courses required by government agencies or appointed entities.

“With the new changes, SSG encourages training providers to design courses that are closely aligned with the needs of the labour market and employers,” SSG said.

Ms Grace Lam, founder and director of leadership training firm SeraphCorp Institute, said the tighter funding guidelines signal increased validation from employers and help her firm to learn what employers need for their companies.

She said these include skills in areas such as communication, coaching, decision-making and learning agility, which her firm trains learners in.

“AI can do many things, but it cannot replace face-to-face interaction,” she noted, referring to artificial intelligence.

Mr Lee Mun Choon, general manager of healthcare training firm HMI Institute, said the stricter funding guidelines will help training providers build a closer working relationship with industry and reinforce relevant training.

HMI Institute trains aspiring healthcare assistants and existing healthcare professionals.

Mr Lee said the firm has signed an agreement with healthcare cluster SingHealth to work together to develop a curriculum of training skills needed on the ground.

He stressed the importance of developing in learners the skills of communication and resilience. “The key is about how to be able to have empathy for the patients, because ultimately, we are still people-fronting roles,” he said.