XN000022-1977-04-24 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 1977

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ACHIEVEMENTS OF JOB PLACEMENT UNIT

IN ITS 10-YEAR HISTORY

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THE JOB PLACEMENT UNIT OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT'S REHABILITATION DIVISION FOUND EMPLOYMENT FOR 526 DISABLED PERSONS DURING THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING ON MARCH 31 RECORD IN ITS 10-YEAR HISTORY.

THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 220 JOB PLACEMENTS OR 71.9 PER CENT OVER THAT FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

OF THE 526 SUCCESSFUL PLACEMENTS, 65 (12.36 PER CENT) WERE BLIND, 207 (39.35 PER CENT) CRIPPLED, 150 (28.52 PER CENT) DEAF 49 (9.31 PER CENT) EX-MENTAL PATIENTS, 43 (8.17 PER CENT) MENTALLY RETARDED AND 12 (2.28 PER CENT) EX-TB PATIENTS.

OF THE TOTAL, 140 (26.62 PER CENT) HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING CLASSES OR SHELTERED WORKSHOPS OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT'S REHABILITATION CENTRES AND INSTITUTIONS.

THE FIGURE FOR THE LAST FINANCIAL YEAR BRINGS TO 2,633 THE TOTAL NUMBER OF JOB PLACEMENTS SINCE THE UNIT WAS SET UP IN APRIL 1967.

OF THE 2,633, 295 (11.20 PER CENT) WERE BLIND, 1,039 (39.46 PER CENT) CRIPPLED OR PHYSICALLY DISABLED, 619 (23.51 PER CENT) DEAF, 35 (1.33 PER CENT) EX-LEPROSY PATIENTS, 359 (13.63 PER CENT) EX-MENTAL PATIENTS, 168 (6.38 PER CENT) MENTALLY RETARDED AND 118 (4.48 PER CENT) EX-TB PATIENTS.

DISCLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE JOB PLACEMENT UNIT OF ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY THIS MONTH, MR. KHOO TAI-PIN, ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (SOCIAL WORK), RECALLED THAT IN ITS FIRST YEAR OF EXISTENCE, THE UNIT WAS ABLE TO FIND JOBS FOR ONLY 46 DISABLED PERSONS.

+THE LATEST FIGURES REFLECT THE INCREASING RECOGNITION OF EMPLOYERS OF THE CONTRIBUTION DISABLED WORKERS ARE ABLE TO MAKE, HE SAID.

+AT THE SAME TIME,+ HE ADDED, THE EMPLOYERS ARE MORE AWARE NOWADAYS OF THE BIG, LARGELY UNTAPPED RESERVOIR OF MANPOWER WHICH MAY BECOME AVAILABLE TO THE LABOUR-HUNGRY INDUSTRY THROUGH SELECTIVE PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT.+

TURNING TO THE WORK OF PLACEMENT OFFICERS, MR. KHOO SAID, +THEY CONTINUE TO ADD TO A GROWING LIST OF EMPLOYERS FOR MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES, CULTIVATED BY CONVINCING THE EMPLOYERS AND THEIR PERSONNEL MANAGERS OF THE CAPABILITIES OF THE DISABLED, APPRAISING JOB REQUIREMENTS AND SUGGESTING SUITABLE OPENINGS.

/#THEY ALSO