Yeoh: Govt supports move to train autistic people for jobs
PETALING JAYA: Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh has welcomed Gamuda Foundation’s move to establish the Enabling Academy to train individuals with autism for employment market.
The academy offers a three-month programme, including work environment simulation exercises to develop good work ethics, and improve technical and communication skills.
The government supported corporate efforts to help this special group, said Yeoh at the launch of the academy at Menara Gamuda here yesterday.
“The government does not have to create another training institution with the same purpose to compete to help these people. Instead, it fully supports these corporate social responsibility projects by the private sector.”
Yeoh said since June 30, 474,579 persons with disabilities had registered with the ministry.
“Of this total, 862 individuals had worked from September 2012 to July this year.
“As many as 489 employers are involved in hiring of these workers.”
Following the launch of the academy, a ceremony was held for 11 recruitment trainees who graduated last month.
Five of them had secured regular employment. Gamuda Group director Datuk Lin Yun Ling said the academy was set up to train individuals with autism spectrum to work in corporate companies, thus opening permanent white-collar jobs to this group.
He said 30 people with autism had been enrolled at the Enabling Academy since it opened its doors in May last year.
Lin said a support group was formed to help and train these workers, so that they could practise what they had learned at the academy.