SINGAPORE: To ease the “post-18 cliff” faced by people with disabilities after graduation, a task force has recommended enhancing work exposure opportunities in special education (SPED) schools and stronger job support.
In a report released on Sunday (Oct 4), the five-member task force said many families worry about this “cliff” – the uncertainty over whether their loved ones will be able to find and keep a job, live independently and remain connected to their communities after leaving school at 18.
“Many caregivers also worried about what would happen when they were no longer able to care for their loved ones. Above all, families wanted the assurance that they would not have to navigate the future alone,” the task force said.
It said more people with disabilities will need employment support as the number of SPED graduates moving into work or further training grows. The employment rate of people with disabilities aged 15 to 64 years rose from 33.6 per cent in 2024 to 34.7 per cent in 2025, according to Ministry of Manpower data.
The proposed measures aim to build students’ work-ready skills, make training more accessible and help them get jobs. The task force also recommended strengthening employment support services and streamlining access to grants.
The Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in December 2025. Since the start of the year, it has been engaging people with disabilities, caregivers, employers, community partners and other stakeholders on issues including employment, community living and affordability.
Measures to help with the affordability of disability services were announced last month.
Speaking at a press conference at the Enabling Village, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said: “We want to ensure that whatever they have learnt within the SPED schools strengthen, enlarge the pathway that they are able to consider, when they look for employment.”
The task force’s recommendations will add on and reinforce the Enabling Master Plan 2030, Mr Goh added.
Besides Mr Goh, the other members of the task force are: Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development and Law Eric Chua; Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Finance Shawn Huang; and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development Syed Harun Alhabsyi.
WORK-READY SKILLS IN SCHOOLS
The task force noted that some people with disabilities found it difficult to build the work-ready and soft skills needed for the workplace, such as communication, interpersonal and organisational skills.
This made it harder for them to communicate their strengths, build relationships with colleagues and navigate workplace expectations, and affected how others perceived their potential to work, it said.
From 2027, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will introduce structured applied learning and work exposure to students with autism in SPED schools that offer the national curriculum. The curriculum will also be enhanced to strengthen work-related and soft skills, with job tasters giving more students early exposure to the working world.
Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and polytechnic students with disabilities will also receive enhanced work skills training and work exposure opportunities.
