He worked hard and was promoted a year later. His boss even liked him enough to teach him the ropes of running a business.

He was so encouraged, he started applying for other jobs - but slammed into the brick wall that is the prejudice employers have against ex-convicts. Then 41, he did not have age on his side. The moment he was 'honest' about his criminal record, he was told politely to 'go back and wait for a letter or phone call'. Neither came, so he stayed on at his old job.

In 1999, he started his own paint and hardware business. Now 52 and himself a boss, he has had 12 ex-offenders on his payroll. Two still work for him.

He is now stepping forward to lend his face to the Yellow Ribbon Project, a campaign to encourage people to give ex-offenders a second chance.

The soft-spoken man is hoping his story will move more people to accept ex-offenders. He said in Mandarin: 'It is quite difficult for ex-offenders to look for a job, and they mostly get rejected. I hope more bosses can give them a chance.'

This is exactly one of the thrusts of this year's Yellow Ribbon Project, launched yesterday at the site of the preserved Changi Prison Wall. Previous campaigns had homed in on creating awareness of the project, but this year's one will re-focus efforts on action. Now is the time to go 'beyond just words', said Mr Desmond Chin, chief executive of Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (Score).

On getting employers to be open about hiring ex-offenders, he said jobs were the key to enhancing these former offenders' self-esteem.

He added: 'If you're an employer and you offer three jobs a year, that's three lives you help, and also the lives of their spouses and children.'

He hopes another 150 employers will join Score's job bank this year, either by declaring their job vacancies or by signing on as one of Score's willing employers. Since last year, this unit has placed 1,700 inmates and ex-offenders in jobs offered by the 1,700 employers in its database. Each year, 11,000 people are freed from prison or drug rehabilitation centres.

Mr Chow, who is among 1,600 ex-offenders who now volunteer to counsel or train current inmates, said a job is 'something ex-offenders can pin their hopes on'. He added: 'If they have nothing, and not even their family's support, it is easy for them to slide back into the old ways.'

Director of Prisons Ng Joo Hee agreed, noting that the longer an offender stayed in a job, the less likely he was to commit another offence.

serl@sph.com.sg