From Awareness to Action – The Inclusive Hiring Journey TomoWork Marks the 6th Run of TAP

Since its inception, TAP has empowered 148 students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) through a structured 12-week school-to-work transition programme, equipping them with real-world skills, confidence, and exposure to professional environments. Among participants who expressed a desire to work, 73% have successfully secured employment, a testament to the programme’s impact in bridging the gap between education and employment for students with SEN.

What distinguishes TAP is its strong emphasis on co-creating impact programmes with corporate partners and IHLs. Through hands-on collaboration, corporates do not merely support inclusion from the sidelines — they experience it first-hand, develop a deeper understanding of the capabilities of persons with disabilities, and often take concrete steps towards inclusive hiring.

From Awareness to Action: The Singlife Story

Since 2022, Singlife has partnered with TomoWork, with employees taking on mentorship roles and working closely with programme participants on real business challenges. Through this collaboration, mentors witnessed first-hand the participants’ dedication, creativity and technical capabilities, as well as their ability to develop thoughtful, practical solutions to real organisational needs.

For Singlife, what began as a mentorship experience evolved into a deeper appreciation of the value that diverse perspectives can bring. It decided to offer employment opportunities to the TAP graduates at its subsidiary, PROPEL with Singlife.

TAP 2025 graduate Ler Gi Chew joined the PROPEL with Singlife team in July 2025, where she has gained hands-on experience contributing to internal projects and supporting business operations.

Yirong Wee, Chief Executive Officer, PROPEL with Singlife, said, “Through the hiring of TAP graduates, we saw a real shift in mindset across our teams. The first-hand experience of working alongside TAP graduates like Ler Gi challenged perceptions and helped our employees better appreciate the capabilities and perspectives they bring.”

TAP 2025 graduate Ler Gi Chew said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of PROPEL with Singlife. Being able to contribute and apply my skills at work has given me a strong sense of purpose and confidence. I also want to thank TomoWork for opening this door and for the support that made this journey possible. My colleagues have also been very supportive, which has made the experience especially meaningful for me.”

From Awareness to Action: Embarking on a new collaboration with Swire Shipping

Since 2024, Swire Shipping has been sponsoring corporate projects under TAP and Swire Shipping has witnessed the TAP participants’ skill sets and professional capabilities. To date, Swire Shipping has offered internship opportunities to two TAP graduates, providing them with meaningful roles while simultaneously taking concrete steps towards cultivating a more inclusive workplace culture.

Building on this positive experience, Swire Shipping and TomoWork will deepen their partnership from July 2026 through a jointly developed workplace immersion programme. As part of this initiative, Swire Shipping will offer an eight-week paid special project exclusively to TAP graduates, enabling them to contribute their skills and unique perspectives towards enhancing systems and ways of working across the organisation.

Through this immersive, project-based experience, participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities in a real-world setting, with the potential for continued employment beyond the programme.

In a joint statement, Ms Celia Huang, Chief People Officer and Ms Susana Germino, Chief Sustainability & Energy Transition Officer at Swire Shipping, shared, “At Swire Shipping, diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of how we grow our people and our business. Our collaboration with TomoWork has been deeply rewarding, broadening our perspectives and connecting us with outstanding talent whose potential might otherwise be overlooked. Experiences like this continue to shape how we build a more inclusive and high-performing workforce. It’s a partnership we truly value and are excited to continue.”

Scaling Impact: From Awareness to Action

Shaping the Next Generation of Inclusive Talent. The impact of TAP is also strongly felt among current participants. Jay Ng, who graduated from Temasek Polytechnic in 2022 and is a participant in TAP 2026, said, “I joined TAP because of the opportunity to engage with inclusive employers. Working on real business challenges through corporate projects is an invaluable experience, and it has significantly strengthened my skills and expanded my confidence in what I can achieve in the future. I hope to contribute meaningfully to society by working with an employer who provides the support I need to fully utilise my abilities.”

Looking ahead, TomoWork is focused on deepening corporate engagement by transforming heightened awareness into sustained action. Through ongoing dialogue with corporate partners, TomoWork aims to replicate successful inclusive hiring cases, such as those achieved with Singlife, Swire Shipping, and other corporate partners, and scale them across the ecosystem.

Ms Jenny Yang, Chief Executive Officer of TomoWork, said, “Awareness is an important starting point, but real impact happens when organisations take action. Our vision is to walk alongside corporate partners on their inclusive hiring journey — supporting them to move from intention to implementation, and to replicate successful models that create shared value for businesses and our talents.”

Co-creating impact programmes with corporate partners and schools

TAP 2026 is supported by a growing network of corporate partners, Amazon Web Services, Citibank, Cushman and Wakefield, Haworth, Hong Leong Asia, Micron Technology, MSD, LinkedIn, Sentosa, Singlife, Sumisei Harmony, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, and Swire Shipping, reflecting increasing interest among businesses to explore inclusive hiring in a meaningful and practical way.

Through Memoranda of Understanding with ITE and all Polytechnics, TomoWork works closely with them to advance employment opportunities for students with SEN. Supported by this strong ecosystem, all TomoWork programmes are made possible in partnership with these institutions. This year’s TAP was hosted at Temasek Polytechnic, which was also the institute where TAP was first launched, reflecting a long-standing partnership in building pathways from education to inclusive employment.

TAP is made possible with the support and funding provided by SG Enable.