Forum: SkillsFuture courses can be more inclusive

There has been much recent attention on SkillsFuture in public discussions, as in Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s Labour Day speech (‘

We will always have your back’: 4G team will look after workers in these dark times, says DPM Wong

, May 1). The Disabled People’s Association Singapore (DPA) would like to reiterate recommendations we have made regarding the importance of ensuring that such lifelong learning opportunities are optimised to include persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities continue to face barriers and limited options in accessing the SkillsFuture ecosystem because many courses remain inaccessible. For example, many course materials are still inaccessible (learners who use screen readers cannot retrieve course materials from websites that are not designed with screen reader accessibility), and some lecturers and training providers turn away disabled adult learners due to their unwillingness to provide reasonable accommodations (for example, giving more time) for such learners.

Several persons with disabilities have told us that they were ignored by lecturers and training providers when they suggested ways that the course could be made more accommodating and inclusive.

There is thus a need for some level of accessibility and inclusion standards to be implemented across SkillsFuture programming, rather than leaving it up to what seems “practicable” to each training provider.

There should be regulations that mandate lecturers and training providers to work with entities such as the Enabling Academy or disability organisations to make their courses accessible, rather than have lecturers reject outright persons with disabilities from their courses.

Studies show that persons with disabilities still face lower employment rates, and are over-concentrated in particular sectors and occupations that tend to be lower-paying. This is not because of a lack of skill, but because of the many barriers that Singaporeans with disabilities still face regularly in society.

Ensuring access to SkillsFuture courses will improve the economic prospects of persons with disabilities in Singapore, and is one of many necessary steps for Singapore as it looks to refresh its social compact to ensure that no one is left behind.

DPA looks forward to having more conversations with relevant government agencies, and we welcome collaborations with individuals from various sectors to pursue these objectives. 

Max W.E. Soh  
Research and Policy Manager
Disabled People’s Association Singapore