MSF and SG Enable to create 1,200 job opportunities for people with disabilities in 2021

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and SG Enable are aiming to create 1,200 job opportunities for people with disabilities this year, said the ministry in a news release on Friday (Jan 29).

These will include employment, traineeship and skills upgrading opportunities under three types of programmes which were announced by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

The three programmes, which will support 150 opportunities for a start, are: Place-and-Train, Attach-and-Train and Skills Development Programmes.

They will complement existing efforts under the Open Door Programme, a government funded initiative by MSF and Workforce Singapore, which aims to encourage employers to hire, train and integrate people with disabilities.

SG Enable is the agency dedicated to enabling this group of people.

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Under the Place-and-Train programmes, people with disabilities will be assigned to employers and trained for new full-time or contract roles.

The employers will receive 90 per cent salary support from the Government for the placements.

Together with the Jobs Growth Incentive and Enabling Employment Credit, the total wage support will be capped at 95 per cent, said the ministry.

The Attach-and-Train programmes support people with disabilities who will receive on-the-job and structured training by host companies in temporary attachments and/or traineeships.

Those who are on the Attach-and-Train programmes will receive an allowance benchmarked at 80 per cent of the salary for similar roles, with the Government supporting 70 per cent of the amount and the host company covering the remaining 10 per cent.

Employers and host companies offering the Place-and-Train and Attach-and-Train programmes can also tap on the Job Redesign Grant under the Open Door Programme to defray the cost of equipment purchase, workplace modifications, job redesign or any efforts to accommodate people with disabilities in the workplace.

Lastly, people with disabilities who attend customised training courses to upskill themselves as part of the Skills Development Programmes, will receive a monthly allowance of up to S$640 for the duration of the training, said MSF.

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Participants of any of the above three programmes will benefit from a 90 per cent course fee subsidy for courses they attend, which means they need only pay 10 per cent of the usual course fees.

The programmes will provide between six and 12 months of support, depending on the length of the individual programmes, said the ministry.

MSF said these are part of the authorities' efforts amid the ongoing impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance access to training, employment and related opportunities for people with disabilities, as well as to lower the costs for employers, host companies and training providers in offering these new programmes.

Mr Masagos announced the programmes after a visit to Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay. The Pan Pacific Hotels Group, which manages it, employs more than 25 people with disabilities in Singapore. They work in various roles from housekeeping to administrative work, across the group's hotels, serviced suites and corporate office, said MSF.