SINGAPORE - The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) will upskill 100,000 finance professionals in artificial intelligence over three years, a move that gives HR leaders in the sector a ready pipeline of accredited AI training for their employees. The programme, delivered through NTUC LearningHub, aims to build generative AI skills while reinforcing the human judgement and accountability essential in financial decision-making.
The AI Foundation course
Central to the effort is the "AI Foundation for Finance Professionals," an asynchronous e-learning course in AI for Finance available on NTUC LearningHub's Learning eXperience Platform. Finance professionals can use the IBF-accredited programme to integrate generative AI into daily tasks and improve productivity. The curriculum also stresses responsible use, underscoring that AI tools require oversight and ethical judgement.
NTUC LearningHub's chief executive Jeremy Ong said the real competitive advantage will come from competence, not access. "As AI transforms the financial services sector, the differentiator will not be who has access to AI, but who knows how to use it responsibly and effectively," he said. "Professionals need to understand not only what AI can do, but also where human judgement, accountability, and oversight become even more critical."
Wider career support for the sector
The partnership extends beyond a single course. IBF said it is working with NTUC to offer support at different career stages - through outreach, career advisory, and youth mentoring - to help finance professionals navigate evolving roles. The institute's chief executive, Carolyn Neo, said the timing is right. "In a fast-evolving AI-enabled future, the strengthened IBF-NTUC partnership is timely as we scale AI upskilling, and provide comprehensive support for our workforce through outreach, career advisory and youth mentoring."
The upskilling push aligns with the government's broader workforce agenda. Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) earlier this year announced a plan to train 40,000 tech professionals to be AI-capable over three years.
Why this matters for Human Resources
For HR professionals in financial services, the IBF-NTUC programme removes much of the friction in sourcing credible AI training. Because the courses are IBF-accredited and delivered online, HR teams can directly recommend them to employees needing to build practical AI skills. The focus on responsible use also helps address governance concerns that often accompany the adoption of generative tools. HR leaders can use this initiative as a plug-and-play component of their organisation's learning strategy, tracking completion and tying new skills to performance outcomes. HR professionals looking to deepen their own expertise can also explore AI for Human Resources to better support their teams' adoption.
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