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Anyone who has searched for a job
knows the feeling of disappointment when a potential employer
doesn't call. Magnify that disappointment tenfold over, and then you
can begin to understand what it feels like for individuals who are
disadvantaged in anyway.
Low Qualification is generally equivalent to low
wage and limited career prospects
" Half of the resident working population, or 52 per cent, have
earning power natinally constrained by limited education."
(Singapore - The Straits Times, May 3, 2007)
"...Income gaps are widening.
This is a problem for those at the bottom, but it is also a problem
for the rest of the society if those at the bottom feel left out."
(Singpaore - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Budget Speech 2007)
"Low wage workers face many
challenges, both present and future, to their employability and
income security. They are at risk for retrenchments and structural
unemployment. With low wages, they find it difficult to meet daily
expenses for household needs including housing, food and transport.
They are unlikely to put aside enough for their medical and
retirement needs. (Singapore - MOM Press Release 2005, Ministrial
Committee Study on Ways to Help Low Wage Workers)
"Rising income and wealth
inequalities, if not matched by a corresponding rise of incomes
across the nation, can lead to social unrest." (India - Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh)
Ex-Offenders, People recovering from mental illness,
the Middle-aged and Senior Citizens etc.
Every year 11,000 ex-offenders walk out of the prison gates, to
face the uncertainty of survival in a cynical and often unforgiving
society. (Singapore)
"It is difficult for an
ex-offender to become a law abiding, tax-paying citizen without a
job. Unless society wants to continue to spend its tax dollars on
building more and more jails, prisons, ex-offenders need the
opportunity to rejoin the workforce." (Les Rosen, September 2003,
Criminal Records and Getting Back into the Workforce: Six Critical
Steps for Ex-offenders - Trying to Get Back into the Workforce)
"Retrenched middle-aged
workers face difficulty in seeking employment..." (Singpaore -
Zaobao, May, 3, 07)
"Work has been shown to
have a beneficial effect on mental health (Becker, Meisler, Stormer,
& Brondino, 1999), while unemployment has been found to adversely
affect mental health (Howarth, Kenway, Palmer, & Street, 1998).
People with mental illness who are employed have significantly
higher levels of self-esteem and also value work more highly than
unemployed people with mental illness (Van Dongen, 1996). Employed
individuals reported that work was both a distraction from symptoms
and a means of managing them. Yet it remains the case that mental
illness can be a tremendous obstacle to an individual’s attempts to
find and hold employment." (Silver Ribbon Singapore)
A primary aim of
Employer with a Heart
is inclusivity. Everyone can succeed! No one should be left behind
or left out.
Education and improved career opportunities
can make a real difference in individuals' live.
Career Guidance and Opportunity
Giving handouts can probably help the individual for that moment of
need. But giving him a job is to allow him the satisfaction and
freedom of self-support and fostering self-esteem and the pride of
personal accomplishment. A job with career prospects will further
him on the path to future success and grant him the ability to
provide for his loved ones. In order to help as many
less advantaged individuals as possible,
Employer with a Heart goes all out to garner the support of
companies, organisations and leaders to open up doors of career
opportunities for them.
Qualification and Skills
Upgrading
Employer with a
Heart
taps on Harriet Business School very successful Work & Study
programme model to allow candidates to upgrade themselves in various
recognised qualification, while they work at the same time. For
needy candidates, Harriet Business School has in place various
payment schemes as well as scholarships, such that as long as
individuals are determine to gain success, they will not be left
out.
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