Five hundred professionals, aged 50 and above, will form part of a pilot career planning programme that aims to support PMETs exploring their next career step, whether they are currently working, semi-retired, or re-entering the workforce. This complements Career Health SG, a national initiative in support of the SkillsFuture movement, to empower Singaporeans to achieve their career aspirations and develop resilient and fulfilling careers.

Launched by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), the pilot programme “What’s Next: Reimagine Your Career Using Design AI” combines the University’s expertise in Design AI—a bold fusion of AI and Design, creativity, ethics, empathy, critical thinking, and human insight—to address career needs of individuals. The pilot aims to help Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) learn how to relook their career paths, recognise their strengths, and explore new opportunities using both job planning and AI tools. The programme also aims to nurture professionals who draw on their rich domain experience, complemented by the use of design innovation and AI tools.

The two-day, in-person workshops will be held at the SUTD campus, with the first run commencing on 22 October 2025. Participants will use locally developed tools such as Journey Map, an interactive, hands-on exercise that helps them chart their career throughout the years and see connections between past and present jobs; Career Quest, a structured card activity to clarify work values; Skill Swap, a guided simulation of how existing skills transfer to new roles; and What’s Next GPT, a Design AI-powered recommender system that generates tailored career scenarios and alternative work arrangements. With step-by-step guidance, participants will develop three key capabilities: using multimodal AI beyond text prompting; creating and designing AI assistants and agents to solve work and life challenges; and applying their domain knowledge to make a bigger impact in the workplace.

The workshops are community-driven, led by facilitators and peers who have navigated their own career transitions. Through shared stories and mutual support, participants co-create a safe space to explore new possibilities and test directions with confidence, while receiving real-time feedback in a peer-driven setting. To sustain momentum, participants will also benefit from up to three follow-up sessions, where they will receive continued guidance, reconnect with peers, and explore job opportunities.

Among those who attended the trial run of What’s Next in September was Ms Audrey Tan, a Sales Support and Administrative Executive in her 50s. Through the course, she reflected on how she could make her career and life transitions more meaningful. She also created an AI-powered career portfolio builder that captured her career path, identified skills, and explored potential roles in the care sector. Ms Tan shared: “The workshop really opened my eyes to new possibilities. It got me thinking about how I can make a difference and stay true to myself as I get older. I was excited to see how AI could help me move forward faster!” Ms Tan continues to receive support on how she can turn her caregiving experience into opportunities in the care economy. She may also develop AI tools to match volunteers, engage seniors, or create care coordination dashboards.

The SUTD-WSG programme underscores Singapore’s commitment to career health and inclusive innovation, while showing how Design AI can help build a future-ready workforce. It supports Singapore’s broader push towards strengthening career resilience and enabling meaningful careers across multiple life stages. As part of the national strategy for career longevity, WSG has been working with partners to develop targeted career guidance programmes for professionals aged 50 and above, helping them plan and achieve their later-stage career aspirations. What’s Next aligns with these efforts and complements the work of the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment (TWG-SE)—established by the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation—which is exploring policy shifts to help workers extend their productive longevity.

Mr John Leong, Director of SUTD Academy and Chief Lifelong Learning and Innovation Officer of SUTD, said: “This partnership with WSG reflects SUTD’s commitment to equipping Singaporeans with practical, future-ready Design AI skills as part of our lifelong learning and innovation framework. Building on our recent initiatives with industry partners, including the Design AI Executive Programme and the AI Impact Series, What’s Next extends our mission of combining cutting-edge research with SUTD’s strong emphasis on human-centred innovation. Through this programme, we are empowering mid-career professionals to be ‘trilingual’, who can draw on their domain knowledge, design approaches, and AI tools to build career resilience for the future of work.”

Mr Brandon Lee, Assistant Chief Executive, Transformation Support Group, WSG, added: “Our priority is to empower Singaporeans to take charge of their career health at every stage of life. Through this collaboration with SUTD, participants are encouraged to reimagine the possibilities in their later-stage careers – from exploring alternative ways of working and transitioning into new roles, to leveraging their wealth of experience in new and meaningful contexts.”

What’s Next will be rolled out between 22 October and 12 December 2025, with each run capped at 30 participants for a highly personalised experience. The programme will be fully subsidised by WSG for Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents aged 50 years old and above. Participants who are interested in learning more about the programme or registering their interest can visit the SUTD website.

What’s Next: Reimagine Your Career Using Design AI: https://www.sutd.edu.sg/course/whats-next-reimagine-your-career-using-design-ai/