New scheme to boost job prospects of ITE students with disabilities

Before starting an internship with SBS Transit in July, engineering student Nur Arfa Taqiah Mohamad Noor Azhar worried about how colleagues would view her disabilities.

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

"I thought they would be very judgmental," said Ms Arfa, 18, who is hard of hearing and has multiple sclerosis.

However, her colleagues have turned out to be "very accommodating, very welcoming to people like me", and she has enjoyed work so far.

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) student is based in the signalling department of the bus and rail operator's North East Line component service centre at Sengkang Rail Depot.

Ms Arfa is one of the first four students benefiting from the Enabling Pathway Programme (EPP), which was officially launched by Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat at Sengkang Rail Depot on Sept 3.

Under a three-year partnership with the EPP, SBS Transit will offer six- to nine-month internships to up to 10 ITE students per year - the first of which started in July.

The EPP aims to boost long-term employment opportunities for students with disabilities, especially in technical positions in highgrowth industries.

The programme is a partnership between SIM People Development Fund (SIMPDF), disability agency SG Enable and ITE.