New advisory committee among initiatives to boost lifelong learning, job opportunities for people with disabilities

New advisory committee among initiatives to boost lifelong learning, job opportunities for people with disabilities Efforts are also being made to reduce training costs and make mainstream courses more accessible to people with disabilities. SINGAPORE: A series of initiatives aimed at opening up more lifelong learning and employment opportunities for people with disabilities (PWDs) was rolled out by SG Enable on Monday (Oct 12), including a new advisory committee to ensure training keeps pace with the needs of learners and employers. The advisory committee on Continuing Education and Training (CET) for PWDs will bring together expertise from across the disability, training and employment sectors to strengthen the quality, relevance and accessibility of training. Its launch comes as Singapore steps up support for PWDs across different stages of life, following recommendations by the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities announced earlier this month. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development Syed Harun Alhabsyi said learning would continue to play an important role regardless of the pathways PWDs take. “Some will transition into employment, while others will focus on developing greater independence and participating actively in community services,” said Dr Syed Harun, who was speaking at the Inclusive Lifelong Learning Festival at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru. “Regardless of the pathway they take, learning will continue to play an important role at every stage of life for all persons with disabilities,” he said. BRIDGING TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT Other initiatives announced by SG Enable, Singapore’s national agency for disability, on Monday include the sector train-and-place programme, which aims to provide PWDs with a more structured pathway from skills training to employment. The programme allows participants to explore different sectors and acquire skills aligned with industry needs. “For some, moving into work takes more than job matching alone,” said Dr Syed Harun. He added that learning journeys hosted by employers will also give participants first-hand exposure to workplaces, the tasks involved in different jobs and the expectations of various roles. “We hope that this helps participants and their families make more informed choices and find a pathway suited to their strengths, interests and support needs,” he said. First piloted in the hospitality sector last year, the programme will expand to five more industries from the second half of this year: food and beverage, logistics, information and communications technology, healthcare, and human resources and administration. SG Enable expects to train and support 800 PWDs through the programme between 2026 and 2030. Efforts are also being made to reduce training costs and make mainstream courses more accessible to PWDs. SG Enable will extend its 95 per cent Course Fee Grant to PWDs enrolling in eligible mainstream training courses, expanding the subsidy beyond SG Enable-supported courses. “This means more persons with disabilities can upskill alongside their peers, without cost as a barrier,” Dr Syed Harun said. Meanwhile, an adult educator capability development framework will be introduced to help educators supporting CET build skills in areas such as disability awareness and delivering accessible training. Training providers will also receive support through a capability development grant to equip their educators, improve their learning environments and adapt course materials for learners with disabilities. Dr Syed Harun said building a lifelong support system for PWDs – spanning their school years, further education and employment – would require a collective effort from caregivers, employers, training and service providers, as well as the public and private sectors. “Inclusion certainly does not happen by accident – it begins with the belief that every person deserves the opportunity to learn, to grow, to contribute, and the conviction to turn that belief into action, regardless of where they start or how their journey unfolds,” he said.