The SkillsFuture Fellowships 2026 have been awarded to 14 Singaporeans, each receiving S$10,000 to keep pursuing mastery in their field. The recipients were honoured at the 10th SkillsFuture Fellowships and Employer Awards on 28 October 2026 at Flower Field Hall, Gardens by the Bay. The list is a useful reminder that “skills mastery” is no white-collar story alone.
The Ministry of Manpower published the opening address by Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau, and SkillsFuture lists every recipient on its own page. Here is what stood out.
Who won the SkillsFuture Fellowships 2026
The 14 recipients come from tech, transport, the arts, early intervention, food and manufacturing. SkillsFuture describes the Fellowships as recognising people who pursue mastery in their craft, keep learning and develop others. A few examples from the official list:
- Lim Yew Poon, SMRT Buses: rose from Bus Captain to Master Bus Captain over 39 years, and trained as a Commercial Autonomous Vehicle Safety Operator.
- Ang Hong Ooi, PSA Corporation: joined PSA in 1994 as a trainee technician, is exploring AI to improve fault diagnosis and maintenance, and contributes to ITE’s Port Automation Technology diploma.
- Jason Tan, Euraco Finefood: led Team Singapore to its first Gelato World Cup victory in 2026.
- Dr Teng Teck Hou, F. E. Solution: has completed 152 learning programmes over two decades and lectures at Singapore Polytechnic.
- Alvin Eng Han Wen, UOB: developed an enterprise AI workforce framework and helped set up the UOB Innovation Academy.
- Mohammad Hafiz, Cariflex: helped commission the new Cariflex plant after specialised training in São Paulo, Brazil.
The rest of the 14 include recipients in HR, forensic accounting, music, autism research and the arts, early intervention, and water and energy technology. The full names and write-ups are on the SkillsFuture Fellowships 2026 page.
The employer side: 28 firms recognised
Alongside the individuals, 28 employers received SkillsFuture Employer Awards for investing in their workers and making learning part of business growth. The recipients are split into Gold and Silver lists on the SkillsFuture website.
One example cited in the speech is Singapore Aero Engine Services, which trains staff in AI, industrial automation and digital systems. It has also welcomed 30 career converts since 2024 through Career Conversion Programmes. If you are job hunting, awards like these are a quick way to spot employers that actually budget time for training.
What this means if you want to upskill
The same speech put numbers on the mid-career support that sits behind these awards. The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme is aimed at Singaporeans aged 40 and above, with a S$4,000 SkillsFuture Mid-Career Credit for course fees and a Mid-Career Training Allowance for lost income. As at 30 June 2026, about 80,000 people had used the Credit and more than 11,000 had received the Allowance.
From 1 December 2026, the Credit can also be used on around 60 industry-designed courses in Financial Services, ICT, and Maritime and Offshore. Examples named include IMDA’s Tech Immersion and Placement Programme, MPA’s Maritime Cluster Fund courses and IBF Standards Training Scheme courses. We covered the details in our guides to the WSQ and sector courses joining the Credit and the Mid-Career Training Allowance.
Can you apply or nominate?
Not right now. SkillsFuture’s pages say applications for the 2026 Fellowships and Employer Awards are closed, and they do not publish dates for the next round. Keep an eye on skillsfuture.gov.sg/sfea for the 2027 call.
In the meantime, a good lesson from the winners is how long-term and unglamorous mastery tends to be: 39 years on the buses, 152 programmes over 20 years. If you are weighing a switch, the latest SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support results show what support is available while you retrain.
