Free courses help those who have recovered from mental illness secure jobs

SINGAPORE — To help those who have recovered from mental illness secure jobs and reintegrate into society, Kaplan Singapore has worked with the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) to introduce a series of courses designed to equip them with the necessary soft-skills.

Fully subsidised by the Singapore Workforce Development Authority, the courses were designed to raise the beneficiaries’ self-esteem and confidence, said Kaplan at a media briefing this morning (26 Feb).

Beneficiaries will attend at least three two-day courses that includes classes on how to work as a team and how to develop emotional competence at the workplace. For instance, the courses will teach beneficiaries how to handle stress and anxiety and how to prepare themselves for job interviews.

These courses will also be the “last stop” to a series of training beneficiaries undergo before they start applying for jobs, said Mr Leon Choong, Kaplan’s Executive Vice President.

He added: “As an educator, it is very rewarding to see how our programmes have helped SAMH beneficiaries gain confidence as they re-enter the workplace.”

So far, more than 40 beneficiaries have attended these courses since it was first introduced in May 2012 and about 65 per cent of them have since found jobs. Kaplan and SAMH is also looking to introduce new courses, such as training them in computer skills, for the new batch of beneficiaries this year.