Enabling independence for the differently-abled

YAYASAN Gamuda's Enabling Academy, which trains individuals on the autism spectrum for employment in corporate companies, is leading change by paving the way for these individuals to find sustainable employment in white-collar roles.
Students are taught to adopt and be adept in skills that can help them integrate better in white-collar jobs via a three-month programme. The curriculum focuses on hands-on training in work-environment simulations to develop proper work ethics, technical knowledge and communication skills.
The information above was shared by Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh before handing out recognition certificates to 14 partner companies that have employed Enabling Academy graduates.
The 14 partner employers are CIMB Bank Bhd, DRB-HICOM Bhd, LafargeHolcim, Lafarge Malaysia Bhd, Feruni Ceramiche Sdn Bhd, Gamuda GM Klang, Hap Seng Group, A&A Architect Sdn Bhd, Agrifert Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Macro Dimension Concrete, Brick Dotcom Sdn Bhd, Ringo Low & Associates, Chris Koh & Chew and SalesCandy International.
Lauding the effort by Gamuda and the partner companies, Yeoh urged more corporations to follow suit and come on-board, saying it is the way forward towards harnessing a more inclusive and diverse workforce. She also added that what Enabling Academy does is aligned with the Ministry's effort in creating a supportive, safe and non-discriminatory culture within the workplace and beyond.
"We also hope that this programme will lead to other conversations being started by hirers, towards improving hiring procedures and reviewing policies to ensure they are equitable to all stakeholders," said Yeoh.
Companies that hire Enabling Academy graduates will also be guided and prepared on how they can best work with differently-abled persons through awareness seminars and job coaching workshops.
Additionally, the programme also helps partner companies carve out suitable job functions and responsibilities for selected candidates. It also provides continuous consultative support to partner employers, post-recruitment.
Gamuda has in its employment 20 differently-abled, full-time employees working in administration, engineering and IT positions across the group. To date, a total of 30 individuals on the autism spectrum have been trained at the Enabling Academy since it opened in May of last year.