Forum: Programmes available to help students with disabilities transition to working life

We thank Mr William W.K. Tan for supporting initiatives to help students with special needs who have gone through mainstream education transition from school to working life (

Good that those with special needs get help in their job journey

, July 15).

SG Enable has been leading efforts to create equitable opportunities in the workforce for students with disabilities.

These include working closely with institutes of higher learning to provide opportunities for such students through internship and mentorship programmes.

SG Enable has provided at least 770 internship placements with employers and helped close to 1,300 graduating students learn from corporate mentors, build their professional networks and receive personalised coaching through our mentorship and career coaching programmes.

These initiatives are complemented by career preparatory workshops and have been well-received by both students and corporates.

As we grow the ecosystem of support for persons with disabilities, many social service agencies and social enterprises such as SPD, Touch Community Services, Inclus, and TomoWork have come forward to provide career guidance and employment facilitation services for students in institutes of higher learning.

We collaborate with The Astronauts Collective, a charity that supports young people in finding meaningful careers, to expand our partner network to offer young people with disabilities more career opportunities.

Beyond their schooling years, persons with disabilities can continue to upskill themselves and embrace lifelong learning through more than 760 courses by Enabling Academy, a disability learning hub launched by SG Enable in 2022. The inaugural Enabling Academy Learning Festival Roadshow will be held on Aug 4 and 5 at the Enabling Village.

SG Enable will continue to work towards changing mindsets to focus on abilities, and enabling companies to hire inclusively. We encourage employers to work with SG Enable and tap this talent pool of persons with disabilities who contribute to strengthening workplace culture and business sustainability.

Tan Eng Tat
Director of Employment and Employability
SG Enable