SINGAPORE: The government will provide up to S$3.5 million to the Open Door Fund (ODF) over the next three years to help companies create employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
The funds will also be used to raise industry awareness and help employers build support systems in human resource and operations to hire such persons on a sustained basis, says the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS).
MCYS Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan announced the injection of additional funds at the inaugural Enabling Employers Awards.
The ODF was launched by MCYS and Workforce Development Agency (WDA) in May 2007 to help employers undertake workplace modification, job re-design and job support.
With the ODF, employers who hire persons with disabilities can claim up to S$100,000 for such expenses incurred.
Since 2009, the ODF has also been enhanced to include an apprenticeship training scheme.
Under the scheme, companies which offer apprenticeship programmes to persons with disabilities can receive subsidies of up to 60% of the trainees' allowance for six months.
Between 2007 and 2010, a total of S$2.0m was disbursed for the ODF scheme.
MCYS says that with the help of the Enabling Employers Network, 49 new companies have come on board ODF and 100 persons with disabilities have attained full-time employment or apprenticeship last year.
Dr Balakrishnan urged more companies to come on board to make jobs a reality for persons with disabilities.
He said more enlightened employers are needed to give opportunities for people with disabilities to prove that they can succeed on the basis of merit.
President SR Nathan later gave out awards to recognise employers who have put in exemplary efforts in hiring and integrating the disabled into their workforce.
Over 40 organisations were recognised. Among them, Eureka Call Centre Systems and hotel chain Holiday Inn received the Lifetime Champion Award.
42-year-old Edward Wong has been working at the Holiday Inn Orchard for 22 years. Like him, 26 other staff at the hotel have mild disabilities.
But having a job that allows them to work just like everyone else has empowered them. "They can be more independent....and so they don't depend on their parents," said Mr Wong.
That's also the aim of Idwan Abu Shama. The 21-year-old graduated from Delta Senior School, which caters to those with mild intellectual disabilities.
In 2007, the hotel partnered Delta Senior School and other special schools to formalise a training structure, which the hotel says, helped integrate the students into the working environment at a faster rate.
Jagdeep Thakral, executive assistant manager at Holiday Inn Orchard, said: "At Delta School, we actually helped them construct a guest room, we made a curriculum for them. So the whole training process is based on exactly the standard procedures that we have in the hotel."
The hotel hopes more organisations will be open to provide jobs for people with disabilities.
Mr Thakral said: "Of course in the beginning you have to be a little more flexible. They generally would take a little longer to learn the job than the others, but once they are there, their commitment level is far higher than the able-bodied persons, the attrition rate is lower. So in the long term, it's really beneficial."
Mr Thakral also said that for his staff with disabilities, integration has not been a problem.
He said: "Some of our PWD (persons with disabilities) employees are Employees Of The Month. That says a lot....because to get Employee Of The Month (title), you have to have good guest feedback, staff feedback, interaction with people."
But he singled out Edward. "The amount of guest comments he gets is absolutely fantastic. He actually got the Courtesy Award from the Singapore Government some years ago....he beat all the other able-bodied persons to get that."
