He helps the less able be more employable

Social enterprise taps bank support to secure jobs for persons with disabilities

- KAREYST LIN

Mr Shaun Tan had it made. His IT consulting and software engineer ing services firm, co-founded with business partner Anders Tan, 39, in 2015, was turning a profit in its first year.

But something was missing.

"It was good money for sure," says Mr Shaun Tan, 36, "but (Anders and I) struggled to find meaning (in what we were doing)."

The duo met while studying information systems at the Singapore Management University. Despite their entrepreneurial success, they yearned for a deeper purpose.

They found that purpose in 2018. They made the bold decision to shut down the lucrative business to focus on Inclus, a social enterprise that aims to help people with disabilities secure jobs.

The catalyst: A plea for help from a mutual friend, Mr Arudra Vangal, who is autistic.

Mr Vangal had been trying - but failing - to find a job for over a year after graduating with a diploma in entertainment design and illustration. Despite having strong cognitive abilities, the 34-year-old has certain "emotional support needs that make it challenging for him to find and sustain jobs", says Mr Shaun Tan.

For two months, the two Tans drove around Singapore, knocking on the doors of social services organisations.

"(We wondered), since we can't help him find jobs on our own, are there any organisations that can help?" Mr Shaun Tan recalls. But it was harder than he thought.

The challenge: Mr Vangal did not attend government-funded special education schools in Singapore.

He studied at an international school in Singapore, and had to travel from time to time as his family moved frequently due to his father's business.