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Improving Employability: Creating Opportunities for All

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Home Resources Events Improving Employability: Creating Opportunities for All

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Improving Employability: Creating Opportunities for All

October 30, 2024

In Singapore’s vibrant economy, employment is a key driver of social mobility and well-being. However, some groups face unique challenges in securing and maintaining meaningful work. At the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), we recognise the importance of creating pathways to employment for all members of our community. Through strategic partnerships and innovative programmes, CFS is working to enhance employability and open doors of opportunity for those who need it most.

Group photo: The team behind Bettr Academy and Assumption Pathway School, empowering individuals through skills training and support

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Set up during the covid-19 pandemic, Sayang Sayang Fund raised $9.7m over three years, supporting over 400,000 lives
应疫情设立 Sayang Sayang基金三年筹970万元惠及40万人

We invited donors to Bettr Group’s new space to learn more about three impactful initiatives offered by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), Bettr Group, and Assumption Pathway School (APS). These initiatives are making a positive impact on the lives of Singapore citizens and residents by promoting skills development, workplace inclusion, and supportive environments.

Uplifting Lower-Income Families: The ComLink+ Progress Package on Employment by MSF

The Collective for a Stronger Society seeks to empower lower-income families living in rental flats through multiple domains of support

The ComLink+ Progress Package on Employment by MSF is designed to help lower-income families in Singapore achieve financial stability and social mobility. Through financial support and dedicated family coaches, the programme fosters stable employment and creates a foundation for long-term economic independence. This holistic approach addresses the financial challenges faced by these families and empowers them to achieve self-reliance and improved quality of life, ultimately contributing to a stronger and more resilient society.

This programme is part of the Collective for a Stronger Society initiative by CFS, which aims to offer a coordinated series of cross-sector programmes and initiatives to uplift, enable, and empower lower-income families.

Ensuring No Student is Left Behind: Stepping Stones Programme by Assumption Pathway School

Mr Stephen Chin, Principal of Assumption Pathway School, shares a moment of joy and reflection with graduates of the Stepping Stones Programme.

The Stepping Stones Programme by Assumption Pathway School (APS) provides skills training and employment pathways for those who fail their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE). This six-year programme equips students with the essential skills and knowledge needed for stable employment. The curriculum includes literacy, numeracy, health and fitness, baking, culinary arts, facility services, hospitality services, and co-curricular activities (CCA). The first four years focus on building confidence and character through foundational vocational skills, while the final two years offer advanced vocational training and work-study opportunities, preparing students who are unable to progress to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) for the workforce.

Eriq, a beneficiary of the APS Stepping Stones Programme, reflected on his journey. “I was one of the most troublesome students at APS. There was a point when I nearly dropped out because my attendance was so poor,” he admitted. However, with the support and encouragement from APS teachers, he realised the need for change.

“In my third year, I recognised that I couldn’t keep going down the same path. I was dealing with many family issues, and my teachers were always there to listen. Gradually, I started attending school regularly and noticed improvements in my performance.” Eriq joined APS in 2018 and, after overcoming these challenges, successfully graduated this year. He is now enrolled in ITE.

The Stepping Stones Programme profoundly impacts students like Eriq, especially those from lower-income families. By providing structured pathways for skills training and employment, the programme keeps at-risk students engaged in education, helps them develop essential life skills, and overcome socio-economic barriers, leading to better life outcomes.

This programme is also part of the Collective for a Stronger Society initiative by CFS.

Empowering Vulnerable Youths and Mothers: The Bettr Holistic Training Programme

Ms Tay Suyin, Assistant Director at Bettr Academy, reflects on the ongoing support received from CFS over the years and how the Bettr Holistic Training Programme has positively impacted their beneficiaries.

The Bettr Holistic Training Programme is supported by the Community Foundation of Singapore’s LIFT Community Impact Fund. It supports disadvantaged individuals, including youths and young mothers. The comprehensive training includes coffee-making and F&B skills, mental and emotional resilience, physical fitness, and employment readiness, culminating in a 7-week work experience with employment partners.

Inarah, a beneficiary of the programme, struggled with anxiety and depression during her early teens, which impacted her school life. Encouraged by a friend, she decided to try working as a barista and joined the Bettr Holistic Training Programme. “The programme helped me build confidence and learn to express myself. If not for Bettr, I wouldn’t be able to speak up and share my journey like I’m doing today,” she said. Now, Inarah is a cheerful and welcoming presence at The Social Space, thriving both professionally and personally. Her story is a testament to the life-changing impact of the Bettr Holistic Programme, which continues to empower individuals like her to overcome their challenges and build a brighter future.

Join Us in Creating Opportunities for All

CFS is committed to improving employability and creating opportunities for our community. By supporting programmes like the ComLink+ Progress Package on Employment, the Assumption Pathway School Stepping Stones Programme, and the Bettr Holistic Training Programme, we can make a tangible difference to the lives of marginalised individuals and families.

We invite you to join us in this important work. Whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word about these initiatives, your support can help us continue to create pathways to employment and build a more equitable and prosperous future for all.

Get in touch: https://cf.org.sg/contact/get-in-touch/

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, DONOR-ADVISED FUND, EVENTS, IMPROVING EMPLOYABILITY

Events

Celebrating the journey home through music

John Doe

In celebration of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, the Community Foundation of Singapore, in collaboration with donor Kris Tan of the Kris Foundation, brought five young Singaporean musicians together in a concert that explores what it means to belong. The concert, which was staged on 26 July 2015 at the Victoria Concert Hall, featured a new work by local composer Phang Kok Jun, specially commissioned for SG50. It also played a selection of compositions by Samuel Barber, Tan Dun and Antonín Dvorák.

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Speaking after the association’s annual general meeting at Kallang Netball Centre on Friday, Liang-Lin, a fund manager for a US$7 billion (S$9.5 billion) firm focused on green real estate investments in Asia, hopes to bring her expertise to the table and increase the amount of financial support for Singapore netball during her four-year term.

The 53-year-old took over from Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan, who has been the association’s president since 2012. Tan had reached the end of her tenure, which saw the national team make several breakthroughs, including a gold medal at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.

Liang-Lin holds various appointments such as being Singapore’s representative to the G20 for Women appointed by the Ministry of Finance. She is also a board member of the Community Foundation of Singapore, which promotes philanthropy through facilitating the establishment of charitable funds.

She said: “One of the things that is overlooked when we look at philanthropy and fundraising is that sport is not really part of the things that people will automatically think about.

“Less than one per cent of the funds that we raise in the Community Foundation goes to sport. The values that sport brings need to be amplified more, so that corporates… see the need to support sport. I think that link needs to be stronger so that we get not just more corporate sponsors, but also they can come in for longer periods of time.”

While national agency Sport Singapore provides funding to netball, corporates can also do their part, she added.

She said: “If we play our cards correctly, we can get corporates to come in and hopefully support them, to see the wider purpose of sport and bring the nation together.”

She also hopes the association can be proactive in looking for financial support, adding: “We must work more strategically with governing bodies on educating corporates on the importance of really supporting sport.”

The former netball player also made references to the recent Women’s World Cup for football, noting the “ability for a game that focuses on women in the sport to bring global attention”.

She said: “I want that kind of trajectory of the limelight going to women’s sport. I think that is a trend that will continue, and I hope that netball will be part of that trend.”

Meanwhile, Tan was satisfied that she has achieved the three objectives she had set out to do when she came on board – to improve quality of play, build a fan base and create an ecosystem which involves coaches and players.

The 57-year-old added: “As much as I do feel sad about having to step down, but at the same time, leadership renewal is very important.

“I think Trina will help to galvanise the team together, and bring a lot of new perspectives and quality to the association.”

Join us in making an impact on Singapore sports scene! Reach out to us for more information.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction

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John Doe

The competition was organised by City Harvest Community Services Association and received support from FUN! Fund, a Community Impact Fund jointly established by the Community Foundation of Singapore and the Agency for Integrated Care, with the aim of addressing social isolation among the elderly.

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of National Development Mr Tan Kiat How attended the event. He encouraged the elderly to stay physically and mentally well, as well as urging them to participate in community activities and enjoy their golden years together.

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

现年92岁的胡锦盛是最年长的参赛者。自2017年退休后，他几乎每天都到活跃乐龄中心报到，从此爱上了玩拉密，每次可玩上三个小时，在中心是“常胜将军”。

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, DONOR-ADVISED FUND, EVENTS, IMPROVING EMPLOYABILITY

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Stories Of Impact

2021 Annabel Pennefather Award winners Cheung Kemei and Jaslyn Hooi: Two talented athletes steadfast in their resolve to win honour and glory for Singapore

John Doe

As Singapore continues to field excellent sportsmen into the international arena such as Badminton World Federation world champion shuttler Loh Kean Yew and paralympic gold medallist Yip Pin Siu, the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) recognises the need to continue supporting the growth of more sporting talent through philanthropy, so that Singapore may continue to produce many more distinguished sportsmen and women for the years to come.

The Annabel Pennefather Excellence Award is one such enabler that helps young sports women reach greater heights and bring glory to our country.

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It is presented annually to two female graduating student-athletes between 16 and 25 years of age, who have displayed remarkable dedication to their sporting craft and achieved outstanding results in sports.

Funded by the International Women’s Forum Singapore’s Education Grant, which is managed by CFS, the Grant aims to recognise deserving young women with character and the commitment to achieve in their respective fields.

The Award honours the late Annabel Pennefather – a former national hockey player, a pioneer of women sports administrators in Singapore and a champion of women in sports globally – and celebrates her achievements through encouraging and empowering women in the field of sports.

This year, the Award winners of the 2021 Annabel Pennefather Excellence Award are Cheung Kemei and Jaslyn Hooi, two young women who have demonstrated exceptional skill and excellence in their respective sporting fields.

At the tender age of only 16, foilist Cheung Kemei has already acquired a number of accolades under her fencing belt, having had an outstanding year at local national and age-group competitions last year in spite of the swelling pandemic.

“I feel very happy and honoured to receive this award. I’m very grateful and would like to thank the school, coaches and everyone who supported me throughout this journey. This award definitely encourages and motivates me to work harder and achieve better results for Singapore,” says the talented young fencer.

The foilist punched above her weight to win a gold at the Singapore Senior Championships last year in February, and won another gold medal for the U17 Women’s Foil Individual at the Singapore Cadet Nationals.

Though there is a long list of contenders for coveted spots, Kemei has her eyes set on making it to the final list of competitors for the upcoming SEA Games this year.

The other Award winner, 21-year-old shuttler Jaslyn Hooi, first represented Singapore at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 in Buenos Aires where she finished 4th in the Women’s Singles. Since then, Jaslyn has participated and won a bronze at the 2019 SEA Games, and is set to take on the region’s best at the SEA Games this year.

“2021 proved to be a successful year, especially towards the end of the year, where I competed for six weeks in Europe. I managed to get gold in one of them and improved my world ranking to be top ninety in the world,” reflects Jaslyn with pride.

In September 2021, she claimed the Women’s Singles title at the Polish International, making it the best win in her career thus far. Among one of the top local shuttlers, Jaslyn won the Women’s Singles title at the Singapore National Open Championships consecutively in 2020 and 2021.

“I’m extremely honoured to be receiving this award. It’s nice to know that Sports School is still supporting us on our sporting journey and recognising our hardwork and success. My goal is to be top fifty at the end of 2022, and this award will continue to push me towards that goal,” says the ambitious young shuttler.

She aspires to play well in bigger tournaments this year and to make it to the Top 80. Her ultimate goal is to make it to the 2024 Olympic Games, and is determined to give her best effort to make her dream come true.

If you would like to support more budding sporting talent in Singapore through philanthropy, please read more here.

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, DONOR-ADVISED FUND, EVENTS, IMPROVING EMPLOYABILITY

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S’pore couple plan to leave money to charity after their death in new campaign to promote legacy giving

John Doe

SINGAPORE – It was their son’s degenerative eye disease that set ophthalmologist Dr Audrey Looi and her neurosurgeon husband Dr Ang Beng Ti on the path of philanthropy.

The couple were devastated around a decade ago to find out that James, now 19, suffers from Stargardt’s which causes progressive vision loss, when he was in primary school.

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To make matters worse, there was a serious lack of programmes then to support children with low vision in their educational and other needs, Dr Ang, 51, said.

In 2011, the couple set up the charity iC2 PrepHouse, which teaches children with low vision the skills to cope with daily life and supports them to remain in mainstream schools.

They now plan to leave $200,000 or more in their wills to set up an endowment fund to support the iC2 PrepHouse’s work and to fund scholarships for needy undergraduates of the Singapore Management University (SMU).

James is now a business undergraduate at the SMU. The Angs have two other children, aged 13 and 21.

Dr Looi, 50, said: “So instead of giving it (our wealth) all to our children, we have started thinking about putting aside a part of it for charity. I think we have to be a little less self-focused and to give back to society.

“We told our children that they can contribute to the fund (in future). And I would like to think that our kids can manage without this sum we are giving to charity.

“Long after we are gone, we have this charity that continues to provide help for children with low vision. iC2 PrepHouse is our family legacy.”

The couple are among the donors fronting the “A Greater Gift” campaign in a three-month drive to promote legacy giving that was launched on Tuesday (Nov 24) morning.

The campaign was started by the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), a charity which promotes philanthropy here.

Legacy giving is broadly defined as future donations to charity, such as in the form of leaving money or property to charitable causes after one’s death.

Ms Catherine Loh, chief executive of the CFS, said the charity has seen more interest in legacy giving in the past few years, by people from different demographic groups including singles and married couples without children.

However, she added that Singaporeans’ interest in legacy giving lags behind Western societies, noting that it is taboo in Asian cultures to talk about death and even writing wills.

She said it is changing though.

“People think that legacy giving is only for the very rich. But we want to tell people, nothing is too small. We want to change this concept that it’s only for the very rich.

“Another thing people think is that if they give a legacy gift, their children will not have anything. We want to say it’s not an either-or (situation) and they can consider leaving a part of it (their wealth) to charity,” added Ms Loh.

While there are the uber rich who are leaving millions to charity after their death, some charities have also received as little as $10,000 from a person’s estate, she said.

The CFS will provide resources to help charities engage their donors on legacy giving, among its efforts to boost this form of philanthropy here.

Besides the Angs, the other donors who are part of the campaign include MP and lawyer Nadia Ahmad Samdin, 30, and venture capitalist Hian Goh, 46.

In their campaign video, Ms Nadia said she went to school with the help of financial assistance and now wants to help at-risk young people, while Mr Goh wants to create opportunities for innovators to reach their full potential.

Mr Goh is a co-founder of the Asian Food Channel, a pay-television channel now known as the Asian Food Network.

Source: The Straits Times

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John Doe

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛：比赛限时反应要快

Related Topics For You: CHARITY STORIES, DONOR-ADVISED FUND, EVENTS, IMPROVING EMPLOYABILITY

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938Now: Night Chat with Susan Ng

John Doe

(From 938Now’s Facebook post on 23 October 2018):

Join us on #NightChatWithSusanNg from 9pm-10pm

Leading our conversation tonight – the work of the Community Foundation of Singapore. Their vision is to inspire giving. And they do this by partnering donors and charities to enhance giving in Singapore.

Catherine Loh, Chief Executive Officer, Community Foundation of Singapore tells us more about the work they’ve done over the last 10 years and how they’ve encouraged philanthropy in Singapore.

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Ten years after Lim Wei-Jen founded his wealth management company Liontrust, he started the Liontrust Charity Fund with the Community Foundation of Singapore. This was his personal long-term goal – to give back to the community when the company started doing well. Managing Director Ashley Ong also believes in helping people, a value that is important to the company.

Liontrust supports charities focusing on children from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special needs. https://liontrust.com.sg/

Community Foundation of Singapore is a registered charity with Institution of Public Character status. For more information visit www.cf.org.sg.

Encore broadcast of the interview will be on Saturday 27 October 2018, 9–10pm.

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John Doe

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.
L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road