Developing Partnerships With Businesses to Support Job Training for Youth With Disabilities in Singapore

Developing Partnerships Between Schools and Businesses

While people employed by schools and organizations that support job training for youth with disabilities have varying titles, in this article they will collectively be called employment specialists. These professionals provide support for individuals with disabilities during their transition from school into the workplace and act as liaisons between organizations and the businesses providing the job training opportunities (Grossi, Gilbride, & Mank, 2014). The literature suggests that there are certain strategies that employment specialists can use to promote strong and lasting partnerships with businesses. First, communication between employment specialists and businesses that offer training opportunities for youth with disabilities has been identified as especially important in developing trusting partnerships (Gustafsson, Peralta, & Danermark, 2013; Luecking, 2009). To maintain and establish employer partnerships, Luecking (2009) recommended that employment specialists communicate with businesses frequently to provide opportunities for problem solving, solicit feedback regarding the performance of the youth, and identify additional ways to support the employer. These communication strategies help promote an employer’s trust of an employment specialist, which is one of the key factors to building successful school and business partnerships (Gustafsson et al., 2013; Simonsen, Fabian, & Luecking, 2015). Similarly, another strategy that helps to develop positive school and business partnerships includes identifying and training co-workers who may be able to provide assistance to the youth with disability in a workplace. Although the benefits of workplace mentoring may be quite obvious for the youth in the job experience, training co-workers to fill this role may also foster strong and long-term partnerships with business by improving productivity and increasing workplace morale (Lewis, Thorensen, & Cocks, 2011; Luecking, 2009). In addition, job customization and job matching will also help in developing strong relationships between schools and local business. This process involves matching the unique strengths of an individual with the needs of a business to negotiate a position that is beneficial to both parties (Wehman & Brooke, 2013). As job customization and job matching can have a positive impact on the bottom line of the business, engaging in these practices can promote a positive relationship between the employer and the employment specialist.

In summary, the literature suggests that some of the strategies that employment specialists can use to promote strong and lasting partnerships with businesses include frequent and focused communication, identifying and training co-workers who will work with the individual with the disability in the workforce, and job customization (Gustafsson et al., 2013; Lewis et al., 2011; Wehman & Brooke, 2013). Employment specialists worldwide may use these strategies to promote partnerships with businesses that offer work experiences for youth with disabilities.

The Singaporean Landscape

Although there are calls to increase the inclusivity of Singaporean schools, most students with special needs attend segregated schools where many receive a life skills–based curriculum in place of the national mainstream curriculum (Poon, Musti-Ra, & Wettasinghe, 2013). In addition to developing independent living skills, these schools also provide paid and unpaid job training opportunities that are designed to improve employment outcomes for youth with disabilities. Although the actual employment rate for people with disabilities in Singapore is not fully documented (Manap, 2012), there is evidence to suggest that there is an increase in the number of students with disabilities who are entering the workforce. In fact, Singapore’s 2012-2016 Enabling Masterplan (Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development, 2012), which is designed to support citizens with disabilities and promote a more inclusive society, reports that percentages of graduates with disabilities finding employment increased from 2.6% in 2008 to 21% in 2010. The report suggests that this is, in part, due to the increased attention to post-school job training.

Increased workforce investments are especially important for a country like Singapore, which has few natural resources. As such, the government allocates considerable funding and institutional support to develop and promote what it considers its greatest asset, an educated and well-trained population (Lim & Nam, 2000). Although Singapore’s math and science education programs have long been admired around the world, the country’s career and vocational training programs have recently become of interest to those seeking strategies for developing a well-trained and highly employable workforce (Cavanagh, 2009). This interest in providing vocational education for the population, coupled with an increased awareness and promotion of an inclusive Singaporean society (Lim, Thaver, & Slee, 2008), has helped fuel efforts to provide job training to encourage integrated work for people with mild and moderate disabilities.

Partnerships between schools and employers are a key component to this success. Singaporean Minister of Education, Heng Swee Keat, described collaborations between special education schools and businesses as key to providing successful vocational training for students with disabilities (Singapore Ministry of Education, 2014). Minister of Social and Family Development, Chan Chun Sing, echoed this sentiment, by noting that while progress has been made toward improving vocational opportunities, partnerships between special education schools and business leaders will be necessary “to transform the employment landscape for persons with disabilities” (Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development, 2014).

While school and business partnerships are clearly an essential component to developing job training programs for youth with disabilities, a dearth of literature exists describing strategies used by schools to foster strong relationships with businesses. By increasing our understanding of strategies that promote strong school and business relationships, practitioners can use research-informed practices to structure their relationships with business when building job training opportunities for youth with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the following research question:

Design

Through qualitative methods, we explored the research question in-depth and provide voice in the previously unexplored topic. We analyzed the interview data collected in this study by using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). This type of analysis allowed us to organize and use organization detail of the data collected, therefore, we selected it as the most appropriate means to better understand the strategies utilized by the employment specialists developing effective partnerships with businesses. Conducting interviews allowed us for opportunities to collect information on the strategies utilized by the individuals who engage in these effective partnerships, and to probe deeper into their responses (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2008). Specifically, we used a deductive approach as theoretical interests have already been formulated and supported by the literature. As researchers, we understand the biases and positionality in such qualitative study as implications that our background and lens as foreigners (e.g., working in the United States, being from a different culture) may imply or use to analyze these data. As such, we caution the reader to not generalize our findings, but rather, further explore the phenomenon studies.

Participants

Purposeful sampling (Creswell, 2014) was used to select potential interviewees who had knowledge of the job training landscape for youth with disabilities in Singapore. With the help of the Special Education Branch of the Singaporean Ministry of Education, five schools and one government organization that serve youth with mild intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were identified. These institutions were selected because they employ knowledgeable personnel who could provide information regarding the research question. Each of these organizations focused their training and partnerships with businesses representing one or more of the four target industries identified by the Enabling Masterplan as being an initial driver for employment opportunities: cleaning, food and beverage, hospitality, and landscaping (Singapore Ministry of Social and Family Development, 2012). From these six organizations, 14 individuals were identified and interviewed. Each of these interviewees served in a role in which he or she acts as a liaison between the organization and businesses in the community to support the job training of youth with disabilities. All interviewees identified themselves as fluent speakers of English, one of the four official languages of Singapore. Participants had been working in their positions for durations ranging from 3 months to 5 years, with the majority having been employed for 2 or 3 years.

Data Collection Procedures

Participants were interviewed in person in Singapore during the months of May and June of 2014 by an American researcher. Eight of the interviews were conducted individually, while six participants were interviewed in pairs alongside a colleague from the same institution. The interviews included questions covering topics relating to supporting community-based job training experiences for youth with disabilities in Singapore. Each interview was semi-structured in nature, meaning a protocol was developed and followed with the flexibility to deviate as the conversation progressed (Lodico, Spaulding, & Voegtle, 2010). The protocol was developed and peer reviewed by the second author, whose experience includes work in international special education, for appropriateness to protect against the possibility of leading or confusing questions. Prior to conducting the interviews, questions were also reviewed by a native Singaporean who is an expert in the field of special education and transition planning. Edits to the protocol were made based on the suggestions of the reviewer to better reflect Singaporean context and colloquialisms. Each interview was conducted in English and questions were re-worded as necessary when participants lacked understanding due to an unfamiliar accent or uncertainties regarding the scope of the question. Participants were assured that the information they provided would not be shared with others from within or outside their organization without their identity concealed. The audio from each of the interviews was captured with a digital recorder.

Data Analysis

Interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis, described by Braun and Clarke (2006) as a widely used process for identifying and analyzing patterns within qualitative data sets. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and informally reviewed within a month of having been conducted. Data were analyzed using the computer assisted qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti, Version 1.0.23. Based on the analysis procedures presented by Braun and Clarke (2006), we conducted this thematic analysis through several phases: (a) familiarizing yourself with the data, (b) generating initial codes, (c) searching for themes, (d) reviewing themes, (e) defining and naming themes, and (f) producing the report. Coding was completed with a specific research question in mind, a process that Braun and Clarke identify as theoretical thematic analysis. Theoretical thematic analysis tends to be determined by the researchers’ analytical or theoretical interest. In our case, it focuses on our interest based on literature focusing on community-based training opportunities for youth with disabilities. Next, the codes were collectively reviewed to identify larger themes, utilizing a semantic approach in which meanings were not interpreted beyond the words spoken by the interviewees (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Once the themes were selected, they were then reviewed on two levels. The first level involved evaluating the appropriateness of coded quotations, or data extracts, that were assigned to a particular theme. The second level involved a review of quotations included in each theme to determine if they may also be a component of a different or additional theme. The scope of each theme was then named and defined. The report was written to represent analyses concluding in themes and sub-themes and is presented in the “Results” and “Discussion” sections of this article.

Direct Support for Employers

A theme to emerge was the importance of the direct support that employment specialists provided to partnering businesses. When these professionals do their job well, trusting relationships with employers are developed. Employment specialists explained that there is not a specific set of procedures used to supporting the businesses and that there is a delicate balance of managing the needs of the parties involved with the job training experience. From the interviews with the employment specialists, it was clear that to make successful job placements for youth with disabilities they must also work closely with businesses to ensure their needs are getting met as well. Two sub-themes emerged from providing direct support for employers, which included (a) maintaining a presence and (b) providing employer training.

Job Matching

As individuals with disabilities have unique strengths and needs, finding an appropriate work placement is an important component of a successful job experience and developing strong relationships between schools and businesses. Employment specialists discussed the job matching strategies they use to coordinate successful placements. Employment specialists spoke about assessing the job site and scope of the tasks related to the position to find good matches for their students. When assessing the job site, interviewees spoke about making considerations regarding (a) interactions with customers, (b) potential safety concerns for the worker, (c) workplace language and culture, (d) the scope of the job tasks, and (e) the location of the business in regard to access to public transportation. Employers may have an idea of job tasks that can be completed by the youth in job training programs, but may not have an accurate idea of what students are capable of accomplishing. Employment specialists, with the help of other professionals such as occupational and physical therapists, may make recommendations. One interviewee explained, “Certain tasks that employers may have in mind, they may think that it is relatively simple, but, for example, if it requires them to work a machine, we may want to advise that probably not for a start.” To more fully understand the work environment and scope of the position, one employment specialist discussed a staff member spending an entire day at the job site. In addition to collecting information for matching potential students with the position, the school is better able to train future students who may be good matches for this type of position. This employment specialist described some employers who were “actually able to help and support by helping us set up similar equipment, similar to what they are actually using in the work site.”

Job Customization

Another theme that emerged as a strategy used by employment specialists to strengthen the school and business partnerships was job customization. Although several interviewees discussed negotiating with employers to modify job tasks, the most common job customization strategy described by employment specialists involved job sharing. One interviewee explained that he works with youth who may not have the endurance to work for an entire day. In this case, he negotiates with an employer to consider employing two half-time workers rather than one full-time employee. Sometimes, he may also be able to separate out job tasks to better align with the strengths of the two employees. Another employment specialist discussed working with employers to frame the manifestations of a person’s disability as a strength. He explained that it is sometimes possible to “scope certain portions of people’s tasks so that the person with autism is able to take on the workload of maybe 40 staff members and they do a certain portion of their tasks. And they do it excellently.”

Involving Businesses in the School Community

Interviewees discussed the importance of providing opportunities for businesses to be involved with activities in the school. These employment specialists spoke about strategies they use to generate and sustain increased interest businesses have in developing partnerships with special education schools. School visits from businesses help provide managers and co-workers with a better awareness of the capability of people with disabilities. One employment specialist explained that after seeing the school-based job training program, employers often are surprised at the type of job tasks the students are able to complete. She described employers as saying, “They are not that profile that we thought. They are very able.” The involvement of businesses within a school culture promotes sustainability because employers feel, according to this interviewee, “We’ve been watching this child grow with us. We’ve been watching this school grow with us. It’s an issue of personal pride.” Another employment specialist discussed businesses sending employees to the schools to deliver enrichment instruction. He provided an example, noting, “A chef might come down and teach making Japanese food, like sushi, which is not part of our curriculum.”

Parent Involvement

A final theme to emerge as a strategy for fostering effective school and business partnerships was parent involvement. Employment specialists discussed parent or caregiver involvement as a key component to the job experience opportunity. As such, interviewees from one school discussed in detail the procedures they use to include the parent in various stages of the work experience to help promote positive partnerships. This employment specialist explained that parents are involved even before the work placement begins. Making such arrangements allows the parents to get a firsthand understanding of the work environment and provide input regarding the appropriateness before it is too late to make an alternate arrangement. She explained that parents may have an understanding of the work environment in a restaurant, “but if they are placed in a central kitchen for a big catering company, parents may not have had the privilege of going into such a company. Many of them can be really surprised.” The school fosters relationships between the parents and business by hosting sharing sessions that provide a platform for both parties to discuss the placement. The result is “the parents know them and what their son is doing and the employer knows how the parent feels.” The school also records video of the student working so that parents get a firsthand account without interfering in the workplace. These practices help ensure a successful relationship that has the potential to be sustainable after the student is no longer involved with the school.

Primary Themes Previously Established in the Literature

Three of the themes that emerged in this study, direct support for employers, job matching, and job customization have been well documented in the literature as strategies for nurturing partnerships between schools and businesses and promoting job training opportunities for youth with disabilities. First, the literature strongly supports providing employers with direct support as an effective strategy for building positive relationships with businesses (Gustafsson et al., 2013; Luecking, 2009). This finding is also consistent with the idea that one of the primary roles of an employment specialist is to assist the employers of individuals with disabilities in the workplace (Tilson & Simonsen, 2013). Next, job matching is another practice widely recognized as being an effective strategy used by employment specialists and also helps develop positive relationships with businesses because employers are getting matched with employees who are a good fit for the specific position (Lewis et al., 2011; National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability, 2005). Finally, job customization is another well-established practice within the literature for building strong school and business partnerships because it gives business the opportunity to see employment specialists identify and fill previously unnoticed needs within a workplace (Griffin, Hammis, Geary, & Sullivan, 2008; Grossi et al., 2014).

Innovative Practice: Involving Businesses in the School Community

The practice of involving businesses in the school community as a strategy for developing and nurturing effective partnerships is not well documented within the literature. Strategies involving the engagement of community members in providing employment opportunities for youth with disabilities have been explored in previous studies, and include the utilization of pre-established employer organizations (Carter et al., 2009) and facilitating community-wide conversations about employment (Trainor, Carter, Swedeen, & Pickett, 2012). However, there remains a dearth of literature describing the practice of encouraging businesses to become a more formalized part of the school community.

Employment specialists interviewed in this study felt that promoting businesses’ involvement with the school community provides a wealth of benefits, including (a) providing opportunities for employers to reassess their preconceived views regarding the abilities of people with disabilities, (b) allowing employers to become acquainted with specific individuals whom they may consider for future employment, (c) fostering emotional investment from employers and thus long-term sustainability of the partnership, and (d) providing opportunities for enrichment of the schools’ vocational curriculum through instruction delivered by personnel from the business.

Innovative Practice: Parent Involvement

Another innovative practice identified in this study suggests that including parents in various stages of the work experience not only helps to improve long-term student outcomes but also aids in the development of a strong relationship between schools and businesses. This finding is not one that has been documented in the literature, but is not all too surprising based upon previous research investigating the positive effects of parental involvement. For example, Test et al. (2009) identified parent support as a predictor of post-school success, which was extended by Mazzotti et al. (2015) who added parent expectations as an additional factor affecting post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities. Furthermore, the literature has supported the importance of family involvement in identifying the skills and interests of the individual, finding potential work experience opportunities, and providing indirect supports (e.g., an expectation of work, transportation, appropriate clothing; Grossi et al., 2014; Luecking, 2009; Luecking et al., 2015). To support the role of the family, Luecking (2009) described one of the roles of an employment specialist as being able to explain why some job sites may be more suitable than others for the individual. However, employment specialists in this study took the idea of family involvement further. The findings from our study suggest that when employment specialists facilitate opportunities for parents to be involved in various stages of their child’s work experience, it fosters a positive experience for the employer, which in turn strengthens the school and business relationship. Arranging direct contact opportunities between the employer and family members may lay the groundwork for a long-term relationship. Parental support will likely still be present even after the student has completed schooling, and as such the youth will have continued support. Although this may not be appropriate in every culture, employment specialists may want to consider facilitating opportunities for these relationships to form. Luecking et al. (2015) noted that parents in the United States may have limited direct involvement in developing partnerships with businesses to increase employment opportunities because this is typically reserved for parties who are mandated to make such arrangements (e.g., vocational rehabilitation).

Limitations

The results present the views of a small group of 14 individuals who may not fully represent the views of all employment specialists in Singapore, and readers should be cautioned to make generalizations. As a related limitation, the employment specialists interviewed in this study serve individuals with mild intellectual disabilities and autism, and findings may not be generalizable for employment specialists who provide services to individuals with other disabilities. In addition, no member checks were completed, and while reviewing interview transcripts with participants would have increased the credibility of the findings (Brantlinger, Jimenez, Klingner, Pugach, & Richardson, 2005), doing so was not possible. Similarly, credibility could have been increased had the interviews been conducted by a native Singaporean rather than a U.S. scholar. Doing so might have increased the comfort of the participants and provided an interviewer who perhaps better understood subtleties and context in responses. Another notable limitation is that seven of the interviewees noted the presence of a nationwide labor shortage or government policies designed to promote the employment of Singaporeans, which may provide additional incentive for businesses to develop partnerships with special education schools that may be a source of much-needed workers.

Reaching a Broader Audience

Students with disabilities in Singapore typically receive their education in a segregated setting, and up until the recent national emphasis on increasing employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities, the same could have been said about the workforce (Singapore Ministry of Education, n.d.). The Singaporean sociopolitical contexts, however, are not in totality dissimilar from those experienced by individuals with disabilities in other countries, including the United States, where the desegregation of individuals with disabilities in the workplace continues to be at times controversial and a current topic of U.S. district court legislation (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). We believe that the strategies that have been identified by Singaporean employment specialists interviewed in this study have implications for research and practice that transcend borders and present a framework that can support the innovative development of strong school and business partnerships in other countries, such as the United States.

Implications for Practice

Although the findings in this study emerged from data collected in a Singaporean landscape, we are confident that much of the resulting information has implications for practice that can be applied in other countries, such as the United States. Consistent with the previous literature, our findings suggest that employment specialists should continue to build strong partnerships with local businesses by providing direct support for employers, job matching, and job customization (Grossi et al., 2014; Gustafsson et al., 2013; Lewis et al., 2011). By doing so, employment specialists will be implementing practices that can lead to positive long-term relationships with employers who can facilitate work experience for their students (Lewis et al., 2011; Luecking, 2009). In addition to these three practices that are well established within the literature, our findings also suggest that employment specialists who are interested in strengthening their relationships with local businesses should also involve the local business in the school community and include parents in various stages of the young adults work experience. Examples of how these strategies were implemented by the employment specialists interviewed for this study include bringing representatives from the local businesses into the school to support regular career development and transition activities, and introducing the parents of the young adults to the employers.

Implications for Research

Several implications for research have emerged from this study. None other is more important than replicating this study in a different environment to test the generalizability of our findings. Furthermore, previous evidence suggests that strong employer partnerships facilitate improved employment outcomes for young adults with disabilities, and that there are practices that can be implemented by employment specialists to foster strong employer partnerships (Gustaffson et al., 2013; Luecking, 2009). We suggest that the emerging knowledge that has been generated from this study—in combination with future replication and exploration studies—be used to help inform a replicable and testable model for developing strong school and business partnerships that can be implemented with the intentions of improving employment outcomes for young adults with disabilities. Based upon our findings, the foundation for this model may include five essential practices: (a) direct support for employers, (b) job matching, (c) job customization, (d) involving businesses in the school community, and (e) parent involvement. To aid in the development in this model, future researchers may consider exploring this topic from the perspective of the employer. As partnerships are not one-sided, better understanding which employment specialist practices are, or would be, valued most by representatives from the businesses would be valuable. In addition, learning more about the perspectives of the family and the individuals themselves may provide greater insight into effective practices. Finally, as most of the employment specialists from this study only serve youth with mild intellectual disabilities and ASD, future researchers may also consider exploring how to better promote opportunities for youth with other barriers to employment.

In conclusion, although the themes that emerged from our study were specific to Singapore, we are confident that our findings have implications for practice and research that cut across cultures and can support a model for developing strong school and business partnerships in other countries, such as the United States.