Disability/Employment/Theory of Change

Click on each outcome in the Theory of Change to explore services, gaps and ideas for each outcome.

Theory of Change

Short-Term Outcomes		Mid-Term Outcomes		Long-Term Outcomes		Social Impact
Employers understand PWD capabilities	→	Employers are willing to hire PWDs	→	PWDs secure jobs in open/sheltered employment	→	PWDs are able to secure, retain and progress in employment
Employers know how to accommodate PWDs' needs	→
Employers find it financially feasible to hire PWDs	→
PWDs fully understand their suitability for job options/career paths	→
PWDs know about available job opportunities	→
PWDs acquire work skills	→	PWDs are work ready (having put work skills into practice in actual work settings)	→

Employers understand PWD capabilities → Employers are willing to hire PWDs

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Inclusive Business Forum (IBF) and “Fostering Inclusion At The Workplace” Seminar Inaugural IBF held in 2016 , second round on 25 Jul 2018 Inaugural seminar held in 2017 Inform businesses of the benefits of hiring PWDs and encourage more employers to hire PWDs		Can there be more opportunities to dialogue with employers or partners such as WSG/MOM, such that the process may be more institutionalised/supported?
SG Enable employer resources   Resources that assist employers in understanding, communicating and working with PWDs.
Inclusive Employers in Singapore Joan Bowen Café  Believe NJ Pte Ltd Soul Food Enterprise Pte Ltd Flour Power Sidewalk Gallery Cafe Dignity Kitchen Flourish Culinary My Nonna’s Trampolene Foreword Coffee Mustard Tree Professor Brawn Café - donated to ARC  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6557440111913603072/

Employers know how to accommodate PWDs' needs → Employers are willing to hire PWDs

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
SG Enable employer resources   Resources that assist employers in understanding, communicating and working with PWDs.
Disability education training for employers and co-workers of PWDs DPA Disability Awareness Talks Society Staples training for employers SPD Disability Etiquette Talks APSN Employer Education Workshops	PWDs continue to face discrimination in the workplace: see 2015 study by DPA and this DPA-IPS 2016-2017 participatory research	Speak to training attendees to assess efficacy of current training avenues.  Focus on practical strategies to communicate with colleagues with disabilities, rather than generic education. Encourage hiring managers to share their fears/stereotypes about hiring PWDs — this should be a standard part of companies’ disability education training, and official HR curricula in Singapore. Make it mandatory for co-workers working together with the PWD, HR and management-level staff to attend disability education training. Conduct research/collect data on disabled employees who were terminated or had to leave because employers did not accommodate their needs. Consider a rotational buddy system for disabled employees, to reduce buddy fatigue and allow co-workers to understand their PWD colleague better

Employers find it financially feasible to hire PWDs → Employers are willing to hire PWDs

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Special Employment Credit (SEC) Extended to employers who hire PWDs in 2012 From 2012 to December 2016, $59 million in SEC credit has been disbursed to employers of about 10,000 PWDs
Open Door Programme  Employers of PWDs eligible for grants and employment support services such as the Job Redesign Grant, Training Grant and other Recruitment and Job Support Services Since 2012, 140 companies have applied for ODP support. The average claim per company is $3000.	Takeup rate is low, and many employers don’t know about the ODP despite its attractiveness. Listen to interview with DPA on CNA The Pulse 10 May episode.

PWDs fully understand their suitability for job options / career paths → PWDs secure jobs in open/sheltered employment

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
BizLink Vocational Assessment Service Provides assessment for a disabled individual to determine strengths and weaknesses pertaining to work capacity Assist people with disabilities and/or special needs in exploring job opportunities and training Offer assistance and counselling to PWDs and/or their families on issues relating to disabilities or work-related issues
ARC Employability & Employment Centre (E2C) Programme Autism-specific pre-assessment, assessment, employability training, job placement and job support	An individual with autism received vocational assistance from ARC; he paid $494 (after subsidy) for the vocational assessment but was deemed unemployable, yet managed to secure a job later at Dignity Kitchen. ARC has responded to this. Might hint at broader lack of job partnerships
SG Enable — Job Advisory Job-readiness assessment by specialists such as occupational therapists/psychologists/employment coaches.

PWDs know about available job opportunities → PWDs secure jobs in open/sheltered employment

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
SG Enable — Disability Employment Jobs Portal Job portal for PwDs to search for opportunities	Jobs listed on most job portals do not reflect if the hiring company is interested to employ PWDs. Career events are not always universally designed as well.	Employers can reflect if they are keen to employ PWDs, at career events, on job portals and other avenues.   Having a “ready-to-hire PWDs” mark would ease PWDs’ job search process.
	There is a lack of commensurable jobs/job-matching when it comes to highly-skilled PWDs. In 2011, a blind individual with a master’s degree in professional counselling was offered an hourly paid telemarketer job when they approached a job placement and support agency in 2011.

PWDs acquire work skills → PWDs are work ready

Programmes	Gaps	Ideas
Transition/vocational training programmes across the various SPED schools: list here	Some SPED students have difficulty mastering job skills training even when approaching graduation/18 years old.	Allow SPED students to attend courses ad-hoc, after graduation, taking into consideration income loss too.
	SPED school graduates lack internship opportunities during their school-going years. SPED schools and VWOs typically have to get their own contacts.	Have a central coordinator that facilitates the internship process, or have more opportunities to dialogue with partners like WSG/MOM.
	Skills taught in WSQ- and WPLN- certified courses may not always be retained, nor applied.
	Because of job tracking, SPED graduates tend to lack information on job opportunities beyond their track, e.g., ex-student who worked in Coffee Bean switched to forklift driving.	Explore the feasibility of freelance/cottage industry labour, evergreen sectors like waste management, funeral parlour work, and purposeful job re-designs.
	Lack of information on job opportunity and industry trends that SPED schools usually train their students to enter.
		Study European apprenticeship models to improve on vocational training and transition planning.
Mountbatten Vocational School - ITE Skills Certificate (ISC) Students learn food preparation, F&B serving and housekeeping operations over two years and are awarded the ISC upon completion
Metta School’s Vocational Certification Programme- Institute of Technical Education Skills Certificate (ISC) For eligible students 17 years old and above Offers ITE Skills Certification (ISC) upon completion, e.g., in Baking, Food Preparation and Housekeeping Operation (Accommodation)
Metta School’s Employment Pathway Programme (EPP) For MID and ASD programme students not on the Vocational Certification track Students will undergo vocational skills training, such as WSQ modules, Food and Hygiene courses, etc. and  job trials and on-the-job training Upon graduation, SG Enable will support these students with vocational training and support in identified suitable pathways such as supported employment, customized employment and internships.
APSN Delta Senior School’s Vocational Certification Programme - Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) For students aged 17 to 21, in four areas: (1) Food Services; (2) Hotel and Accommodation Services; (3) Landscape Operations and (4) Retail Operations.
MINDS Employment Development Centres (EDCs) Provides vocational training for adults with intellectual disabilities aged 18 and above: Idea Employment Development Centre SIA-MINDS Employment Development Centre Woodlands Employment Development Centre Minds regularly organises internships in industries as diverse as laundromats, supermarkets, hardware shops and car wash facilities in petrol stations for its clients starting from the age of about 16. By around age 19, some PWDs can be guided towards working in sheltered workshops that cater to them, doing work such as packing, retail, baking and making crafts. Others are placed in the general labour market, where they are mentored and supported by job coaches from Minds who ensure that they are not stressed in their new environment or check that they are able to take public transport to work.
Vocational Training For post-primary school students, available at: Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) – Mountbatten Vocational School Autism Association (Singapore) – Eden Centre for Adults Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – Goodwill, Rehabilitation and Occupational Workshop (GROW) Down Syndrome Association – Adult Enhancement Programme
Vocational Training in SPED Schools
Rise Mentorship Programme    12-week programme where students are matched with business managers who provide mentoring in job interviews, resume writing skills etc.
IHL Internship Programme  Provides internship opportunities for IH students with ASD, ID, PI and SI
Training Programmes at SG Enable: list here
Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore – Goodwill, Rehabilitation and Occupational Workshop (GROW) Sheltered workshop that provides vocational training and employment for adults with cerebral palsy or multiple disabilities.
Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped - Skills Development Programme Skills training courses to prepare and equip the visually handicapped for employment or general upgrading so that they could better integrate with the community. IT Skills Telemarketing Massage Training Learning to Play Musical Instruments Art and Craft
Sheltered Workshops Offer employment and/or vocational training to adults with disabilities who do not possess the competencies or skills for open employment. Currently 8 sheltered workshops run by APSN, Bizlink, CPAS, MINDS, SPD and Thye Hua Kwan at various centres	Some PWDs may find sheltered employment too easy/not challenging, yet be unsuited for open employment.	Supported employment models? Currently there are some PWDs who are not able to gain employment in open market but reject sheltered employment [tasks are too simple and allowance is low (<$300/month)]