They build careers by breaking barriers

Job coaches at local charity SPD have a unique goal: To match persons with disabilities to jobs that are meaningful and lean into each individual's strengths

- GENEVIEVE CHAN

Supporting persons with disabilities

Six months. Four job fairs. Zero job offers.

"Everyone was walking (into the community centre), and they could just sit and talk to whichever employer they wanted," recalls Ms Andrea Nandini, 40.

"But nothing was given to my client."

Ms Nandini's client, a man in his 20s who is hard of hearing, holds a diploma in multimedia design. She is a job coach at SPD, a local charity that supports persons with disabilities of all ages.

He had been open to any role, she says. Still, the doors stayed shut.

Despite more conversations around inclusive hiring in Singapore, Ms Nandini continues to encounter such challenges.

The Singapore Government has been ramping up efforts to promote inclusive hiring. The goal: To increase the number of employers with special needs employees from more than 7,000 in 2024 to 10,000 in 2030.

For Ms Nandini, who has been working with persons with disabilities for about three years, this target represents both the progress that's been made and the road ahead.

As a job coach, she helps persons with disabilities prepare for and sustain a meaningful career. That includes conducting skills assessments and even accompanying them on interviews.

"When companies know that (the person with disabilities) have a job coach - that there's another organisation that's helping this client - they are more confident to hire them because they know that they have support," she explains.

Her efforts are paying off.

In the financial year ending March 2024, Ms Nandini and SPD's employment support team helped 180 clients secure jobs. SPD trained close to 360 persons with disabilities in employment-related skills, such as identifying and navigating workplace challenges.

The employment support team includes job coaches, occupational therapists, social workers and trainers.