Singapore, 1 June 2022 – More employers are ready to provide learning opportunities for polytechnic graduates with disabilities and special needs. The second year of the Talent Accelerator Programme (TAP), which helps persons with disabilities and special needs transit from school to work, sees more than 10 well-known corporate brands participating in the training programme.

The Talent Accelerator Programme (TAP) organised jointly by Temasek Polytechnic and TomoWork Ltd., attracted 19 participants from all five polytechnics in Singapore. All of them, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and individuals who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) spent 12 weeks working with leading corporations like foodpanda, Sembcorp Industries and Unilever, on accelerated career preparation opportunities.

The TAP provides an accelerated career preparation opportunity in an inclusive learning environment where PWDs and SEN participants learn critical soft skills, career skills & technical skills to prepare them for jobs of the future.

Participants also underwent industry talks, skills training, and three mentoring sessions with industry professionals from Amazon Web Services, Barclays, Bloomberg, Google, LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, Rasmussen, Tableau, and VMware, to develop a greater perspective of the workforce and better career planning.

The students also worked on ‘live’ briefs from industry, providing solutions to business challenges presented by their corporate sponsors.

Ms. Gwendolyn Loh, Vice President, Group Sustainability, Sembcorp Industries said, “It was exciting to see this team of young students come together to tackle the business challenge we presented them with. We were energised by their fresh ideas and eagerness to contribute to a sustainable future. The next generation of sustainability leaders depends on the youth of today, and we are appreciative of TomoWork’s invitation to come on board for this partnership.”

Mr. Peter Lam, Principal and CEO of Temasek Polytechnic, said, “This is the second time that TP is partnering with TomoWork in the Talent Accelerator Programme (TAP). We are very happy with this partnership as it promotes greater inclusivity in the workplace and provides real-world learning opportunities for our SEN students to help them achieve their aspirations. We are also heartened to see strong industry response and support for the programme. By working together, we can create new and exciting employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and special needs, and create a better future for all.”

Mr. Mike Momota, CEO of TomoWork, said, “We are delighted to end TAP with many great collaborations with Temasek Polytechnic and corporate partners. We saw exciting outcomes from our programme. We realized once again and are more confident that we can create employment opportunities for PWDs in Singapore by training the right skills through our unique programme.”

One of the participants, Mr. Xavier Chung Jing, a recent graduate from Republic Polytechnic who has autism, said: “I want to get a job after completing TAP. In addition to acquiring fundamental knowledge such as digital skills, TAP also provided opportunities to develop soft skills such as how to write a CV and how to make a presentation which enhanced my employability. These learnings developed my confidence, and I hope to make full use of it in my future employment.”.

Mr. Eric Chua, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth was guest of honour at Demo Day, which is the final day of the TAP, where both participants and their corporate sponsors shared about their projects and learning experience. Held on Wednesday, 1 June, at Auditorium 3 of Temasek Polytechnic, the event attracted some 100 people.

Joining in live from Japan, was Mr. Toru Shiomitsu, Managing Executive Officer of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company one of the largest life insurance companies in Japan, and a donor of TomoWork Ltd.

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