Amazon inks MoU with SG Enable to hire, empower associates with disabilities

American tech giant Amazon has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SG Enable to tap persons with disabilities to help in its operations in Singapore.

The company’s partnership with SG Enable aims to create equal opportunities for these individuals.

Under the MoU, Amazon will have to triple the number of its associates with disabilities within a period of three years. This would mean increasing to 15 percent the total number of associates with disability in its work force in order to build an inclusive workplace.

Both companies hope to provide the necessary training to empower persons with disabilities to advance their careers in the logistics industry.

Together with SG Enable’s Enabling Academy, Amazon will co-develop logistics training courses to provide the needed training to persons with disabilities and equip them with the skills that are needed for their respective jobs in the logistics industry.

In addition, Amazon will also provide mentorship and internship opportunities for students with disabilities through SG Enable’s RISE Mentorship and Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) Internship programmes.

“Through this partnership, we want to empower persons with disabilities with relevant on-the-job skills training and development to support them as they build careers, and enable them with an inclusive and positive environment to grow and learn,” said Manuel Berbuer, General Manager for Operations at Amazon Singapore.

Ku Geok Boon, Chief Executive Officer of SG Enable, said that their partnership with Amazon is very significant as this is expected to ramp up their employment of associates with disabilities in their Operations businesses threefold.

Also, this is expected to increase the accessibility of their shopping platform and provide support to persons with disabilities who develop quality merchandise.

In a statement, Amazon said that their team members will undergo training with SG Enable’s support group to develop relevant skills to work alongside and support associates with disabilities.

Amazon started on July 2022 the hiring and onboarding of associates with autism, intellectual disabilities, and those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) through SG Enable’s Job Placement and Job Support programme for various roles across its fulfilment network.

Specialised training programmes were also developed through close collaboration with SG Enable.

In a statement, the two companies said that members of the Amazon teams engaged with job coaches and occupational therapists from SG Enable’s partner network to do site visits to improve workplace accessibility and accommodations that include the installation of safety mirrors in strategic areas, and emergency buzzers with vibrations and lights for associates who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.

Deaf or Hard of Hearing associates were also provided with special gloves and scanners that vibrate to indicate that an item has been successfully scanned during picking and packing.

Amazon and SG Enable also plan to work together to promote the adoption of assistive technologies and e-accessibility tools for associates with disabilities at Amazon’s Operations sites to encourage associates with disabilities to work independently.