Ms Jessica Szeto, who has Down’s Syndrome, was worried when she first started working at The Social Kitchen in December last year, but after seven months, the social business wants to teach her to be a supervisor. Ms. Szeto, 30, currently works as a service staff member, packing food for delivery to customers. It’s her first time working full-time.
“I’ve made a lot of wonderful friends, and they’ve helped me a lot… Working with my coworkers is a pleasure for me. They’ve been quite helpful to me “On Tuesday, she stated (Jul 13).
Ms. Jessica Szeto, a 30-year-old woman with Down syndrome, works at The Social Kitchen. It’s her first time working. (Photo courtesy of The Social Kitchen)
Margaret Drive Special School, Rainbow Centre, and Towner Gardens MINDS were among the seven schools she had attended previously.
She told reporters that she spent some time in Australia before returning to Singapore last year, and that she hunted for a job for approximately a month before securing her current post.
The Social Kitchen, which first opened its doors in August of last year, now has six food and beverage locations across the island. The social company hires people with special needs as well as other disadvantaged people such as single mothers and the homeless. As he visited The Social Kitchen’s location at Jurong Bird Park on Tuesday, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng praised it as a company that actively hires individuals with impairments. On Wednesday (July 14), Dr Tan gave an update on the Jobs Growth Incentive (JGI) scheme, saying that it has assisted in the hiring of almost 1,600 persons with disabilities. “Approximately six out of ten employees were unemployed at the time of hire, and more than half had been unemployed for more than six months. They will be able to enter the workforce and find meaningful work “Dr. Tan stated.
According to him, the food services sector, environmental sciences, and wholesale commerce are the top employment industries for such workers. People with disabilities make up somewhat more than four out of ten JGI-supported workers in these industries. In November of last year, it was revealed in Parliament that Singapore had roughly 32,000 people with impairments aged 15 to 64, with around 9,000 of them working. In response to a legislative question, the Ministry for Social and Family Development stated that approximately 1,000 people are unemployed and over 22,000 are unemployed. READ MORE: More than 270,000 locals have been hired as part of the Job Growth Incentive: “STEP-BY-STEP,” MOM says. Since September last year, when the JGI began, The Social Kitchen has added 15 more people, according to Ms Avelyn Lee, director of sales and marketing. It presently employs 34 people, half of whom are disabled and welfare recipients. The JGI program aims to increase local employment by providing extra incentives to businesses who recruit older workers, individuals with disabilities, and ex-offenders. For up to 12 months, companies that hire more Singaporeans or permanent residents can receive 25% pay support for the first S$5,000 of each new local worker’s salary. Employers receive half of the first S$6,000 in monthly income for local workers aged 40 and up, workers with impairments, and ex-offenders for up to 18 months. Employers of disabled individuals are also eligible for the Enabling Employment Credit, which provides additional pay offsets for each Singaporean with a handicap earning less than S$4,000 per month. “Because we are a fledgling company, we have limited funding resources,” Ms Lee explained. “We were able to create extra outlets because to JGI and a lot of landlord subsidies, and then we can take in more (people with disabilities).” Ms Lee stated that she already possessed the necessary qualifications for the position and that all she needed was time to gain confidence in her new work. “She’s a happy, upbeat person. I believe the next step (for her) will be to accept orders online. So, of course, the goal is for her to become a supervisor “she stated “We’ll have to take it one step at a time.”/n
