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Umairah Nasir speaks to SBS Transit leaders, a MINDS representative, and an individual with an intellectual disability to explore how inclusive employment works in practice — and why it benefits both people and organisations.
In Singapore’s workforce, talent comes in many forms and persons with intellectual disabilities (PWIDs) are proving they have just as much to offer. From cleaning teams to customer-facing roles, these individuals are building skills, confidence, and independence while showing employers the value of inclusion.
Organisations such as the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS) offer support across different life stages, from Special Education (SPED) schools offering vocational training and career guidance to supported employment and community integration programmes. One example is MINDS’ partnership with SBS Transit (SBST), which facilitates job placements for adults with intellectual disabilities through structured training and workplace integration.
Through hands-on experience, structured training, and close guidance from MINDS’ officers, clients learn workplace skills, adapt to new environments, and find meaning in their work.
In this interview, Umairah Nasir speaks to SBS Transit CHRO Tan Hui Boon and CEO Jeffrey Sim, Angeline Hong, MINDS Training Officer, and Ng Hui Sze, an employee with intellectual disabilities to explore what inclusive employment looks like in action.
A steady rhythm of work and growth
For Ng Hui Sze, 31, her job at SBST’s Ulu Pandan Depot consists mainly of cleaning the canteen and office areas. Twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, she travels with her training officer to the depot. Her day starts with wiping tables and chairs in the canteen after staff finish their meals, followed by a short lunch break before moving to the office for cleaning tasks. After completing her duties there, she returns to the canteen to continue tidying up until the end of her shift.
Given that the canteen area is large and busy, Ng admits that cleaning it can be tiring, sometimes needing her training officer’s help. She also gets tired from covering such a big area, but her training officers ensure she gets time to rest when the canteen is less crowded.
Despite these challenges, the experience has made her more confident and adaptable. She now feels ready to use her cleaning skills in other places that require similar tasks, such as wiping tables, chairs, and maintaining offices. Adjusting to the new environment took time, especially when she first started; but over time, she got used to the routine.
Her favourite moments are when SBST organises special events and includes the MINDS clients in the celebrations.
"On days with special events conducted by SBS Transit, they involve and reward us with titbits and food, which makes me very happy," says Hui Sze.
If given a chance to try something new, she shares that her dream job would be to become a singer, simply because she loves singing!
Helping PWIDs find their footing at work
Angeline Hong Bee Hwa, Training Officer, MINDS’ Regional Hub Queenstown, supports clients such as Hui Sze through the Clean & Green Station programme. Her role begins even before her clients step into their new workplace.
"When we found out about the work opportunity with SBS Transit, we conducted a site visit and captured photographs to show our clients their future work environment," she explains. This preparation helped the team understand what to expect and build excitement for the first day.
For this assignment, six clients were selected. To ensure they could cover the large canteen area efficiently, the training team developed strategies such as using the surrounding environment as visual cues, creating a fixed cleaning pattern, and refining job processes. This structure helps clients stay organised and reduces the chances of missing out any areas during cleaning.
Hong and her team also accommodate each client’s learning pace. They work alongside them, providing constant reminders and checking in regularly to ask how they are coping. Many clients expressed tiredness at the start, so the team included more breaks to support them through the adjustment period.
Encouragingly, their efforts have not gone unnoticed, with stallholders at the canteen showing their appreciation by offering drinks and words of thanks to the clients.
SBS Transit’s approach to inclusive employment
Guided by its 3E Framework (Employ, Empower, Educate) and CARES values, SBS Transit has made inclusivity central to its operations.
Since 2022, the company has grown its workforce of employees with disabilities from four to 37 through the Enabling Pathway Programme. Programmes such as Travel Buddy allow passengers in wheelchairs to travel independently, while partnerships with SG Enable, MINDS, and Project Dignity give at least six MINDS clients at each depot – including Ulu Pandan, Seletar, and the North East Line – the chance to gain meaningful work experience.
To support their integration, it provides practical workplace adaptations such as barrier-free worksites, reduced physical demands, and visual coaching aids, while mentors and co-workers offer day-to-day guidance, helping new employees adjust and thrive.
Tan Hui Boon, Chief Human Resource Officer, SBST adds: "Equally important are supportive mentors and co-workers, which helps in the integration to the workforce."
Jeffrey Sim, Group CEO, SBST emphasised that inclusivity is both a moral and strategic advantage.
"Empowering all individuals makes us stronger, more resilient, and more human," he shares.
Building a more inclusive Singapore
The partnership between MINDS and SBS Transit demonstrates how inclusion can be applied in daily work. Through structured training, guidance, and workplace support, adults with intellectual disabilities are developing skills and gaining confidence.
Each completed task and gesture of recognition shows that inclusion is about participation and opportunity, reflecting a more inclusive approach to employment in Singapore.
Images / SBST
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