Launch of First Enabling Business Hub – Equipping Inclusive Employers and Bringing Job Opportunities Closer to Persons with Disabilities in the West

13 December 2023 – The first Enabling Business Hub (EBH) was officially opened today in Jurong West by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. EBH@Jurong is set up by SG Enable, the focal agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore.

EBH@Jurong aims to bring training and employment opportunities closer to the homes of persons with disabilities living in the West, including those with higher work support needs. EBH@Jurong has a Centre for Inclusive Employment in the Logistics sector to onboard more inclusive employers and create job opportunities for persons with disabilities in the sector.

Through partnerships with industry leaders and associations such as Amazon, Singapore Logistics Association, Republic Polytechnic’s Centre of Innovation for Supply Chain Management and School of Engineering and Bizlink Centre, the Centre for Inclusive Employment in EBH@Jurong will showcase best practices of inclusive hiring in the logistics industry. Employers can participate in learning journeys at the hub to better understand how job redesign and adoption of technology can occur in a real-world setting to facilitate the employment of persons with disabilities and implement these at their workplaces. EBH@Jurong will also provide targeted training and support to prepare persons with disabilities for work in the Logistics sector. 

Through EBH@Jurong, SG Enable will work closely with trade associations, business chambers and community partners to organise community outreach events that will raise awareness of the employment support available for employers and persons with disabilities, and shift mindsets to expand inclusive hiring in more sectors, making inclusive hiring a hallmark of our refreshed social compact.

Ms Ku Geok Boon, Chief Executive Officer, SG Enable, said: “Employment is a key enabler for persons with disabilities to fulfil their potential and live independently. We have seen more companies interested in inclusive hiring, and EBH@Jurong will equip employers in the logistics industry with best practices which they can bring back to their workplaces. Persons with disabilities will also be better supported for jobs of the future, and by locating EBHs in the community, more persons with disabilities will be able to find jobs near their homes.”

Located next to Lakeside MRT station, EBH@Jurong is home to other tenants such as Peace Peas and Superduper, as well as an inclusive community space open to the public. SG Enable has also worked with Singapore Land Authority to allow the public to use OneMap to look out for special education schools, disability programmes and services near their homes such as EBH@Jurong.

EBH@Jurong complements SG Enable’s other employment support initiatives for employers and persons with disabilities, such as the Open Door Programme and School-to-Work Transition Programme.

The launch of EBH@Jurong is part of the Enabling Masterplan 2030 and contributes to Singapore’s aspirational goal of a 40% employment rate for persons with disabilities by 2030. EBH@Jurong aims to place more than 500 persons with disabilities in employment over the next five years.

For more information, members of the public can visit www.enablingguide.sg/ebh.