Open Door Fund to receive $3.5mn for disabled employees

Employers who will be hiring staff with disability can claim up to $100,000 for such expenses incurred.

MCYS said, the funds that will be provided over the next 3 years will also be used to raise industry awareness and help employers build support systems in human resource and operations to hire them on a sustained basis.

The ODF was launched by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and Workforce Development Authority (WDA) in May 2007 to help employers undertake workplace modification, job re-design and job support.Since 2009, the ODF has also been enhanced to include an apprenticeship training scheme. Under the scheme, companies which offer apprenticeship programmes to persons with disability can receive subsidies of up to 60% of the trainees’ allowance for 6 months. Between 2007 and 2010, a total of $2.0m was disbursed for the ODF scheme.

With the help of the Enabling Employers Network (EEN), a total of 49 new companies have come on board ODF and 100 PWDs have attained full-time employment or apprentice in the open market through the ODF in the year 2010. EEN is an alliance of like-minded employers who champion and advance employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The present EEN is under the stewardship of Mr Shantha de Silva, Regional General Manager at InterContinental Hotels Group.

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said, “We need more enlightened employers to give opportunities for people with disability to prove that they can succeed on the basis of merit". He announced the injection of additional funds to the ODF at the inaugural Enabling Employers Awards and also urged more companies to come on board to make jobs a reality for persons with disabilities. “We need more enlightened employers to give opportunities for people with disability to prove that they can succeed on the basis of merit,” he said.

The Awards, which was graced by Guest of Honour President S R Nathan, was the first in Singapore to recognise employers who have put in exemplary efforts in hiring and integrating the disabled into their workforce.

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