Debated in Parliament on 2 Aug 2022.
Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the training programmes under SG Enable which are provided to employers who hire individuals with special needs, includes training on how to provide assurance to these individuals about their competence at their job.
SG Enable's High Impact Retention and Employment (HIRE) Workshops for employers provide a comprehensive and structured training framework for organisations to equip themselves with relevant knowledge and skills to hire and integrate employees with disabilities. They cover a variety of topics, including building employers' confidence in managing employees with disabilities, and training employers to conduct performance reviews and provide timely feedback on employees' work performance. These workshops also build employers' confidence in implementing job accommodations and job redesign to ensure that employees with disabilities are able to perform at the required competency levels.
The Open Door Programme (ODP), administered by SG Enable, supports employers in hiring, training and integrating persons with disabilities into the workforce. Employers can tap on the ODP Training Grant to support up to 90% course funding when they attend or send their employees without disabilities to attend courses to build confidence in interacting and working with colleagues with disabilities. Between 2014 and 2021, about 600 organisations participated in training to learn skills on how to recruit and integrate persons with disabilities at their workplace.
SG Enable launched the Enabling Academy in May this year to provide more training and learning opportunities for persons with disabilities, and those in their network of support, such as employers. The Academy also offers complimentary toolkits and resources to support employers in their disability-inclusive hiring journey.
Together, these training programmes, training support and resources equip employers with the knowledge, skills and tools to provide feedback to their employees with disabilities and better support them to contribute and perform well at work.
PAPERCUTS