Special education grads to get more help finding jobs

This post came out from The Straits Times (17 October 2015)

Graduating students with special needs have been getting help to find jobs via a school-to-work scheme, which will be expanded next year. The scheme, started a year ago, has helped place 30 students who graduated from five special education (Sped) schools last year, on work stints with 10 firms.

Acting Minister for Education Ng Chee Meng, who gave this update yesterday at the biennial Special Education Learning Day, said employers are interested in hiring Sped graduates after they finish training. "These graduates are acquiring important work skills and gaining greater confidence as contributing individuals at their work place," said Mr Ng, who was speaking to 1,700 educators at the Resorts World Convention Centre.

The scheme was developed by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and SG Enable, a government established body that offers services for people with disabilities.

It will be expanded to more Sped schools in phrases from next year, said Mr Ng. The schools currently on the scheme are Pathlight School, APSN Delta Senior School, Grace Orchard School, Metta School and Woodlands Gardens School.

This year, another 30 final year students from these schools will join the scheme. They will be referred to SG Enable to identify employment or training opportunities. The first batch of 2014 graduates started their nine month internship in March. They have been receiving training from job coaches at their workplace. Prior to the stint, they had two months of training with SG Enable to learn social skills and build up their physical stamina for work.

Currently, one in four Sped graduates is employed successfully after vocational education programmes in Sped schools. There are 20 Sped schools here with about 5000 students aged seven to 18.

Yesterday, Mr Ng said that MOE has improved the quality of Sped in the past five years through efforts such as literacy and numeracy programmes. It will increase funding for Sped schools to hire IT professionals and use technology for learning, and ensure that staff salaries remain competitive so they can attract and retain quality staff, he added.

Thoughts:

1. It is important to see such programmes on three aspects. Individually, the student would feel that he is a useful individual who can earn some money to support himself/herself and the family. This will also raise the person's self esteem and confidence, as well as feeling of leading a meaningful life.
2. At the family level, such programmes also helps family members to reduce stress in caregiving for the child. Imagine the family has to plan for day activity centre (with all the pick ups), or quitting job to stay at home and look after the child. This will no longer be required as a child who has been trained would be equipped with all the necessary skills. This overall lessens the burden on the family.
3. At the society/ community level, it would help to put tax payers money into better use to turn individuals into contributing members of the society, rather than putting him/her (and the family members) out of the economic cycle. Also, another person put in the economy also helps in some ways to meet needs of manpower too!
4. So many wins in a programme! 

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big