Soap Cycling is glad to share that the “SOAPER Work – pre-employment training programme” held for the persons with learning disabilities and funded by the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund commenced on 1 Jan 2024.The number of SEN pupils in local schools reached 58,890 in 2021-22. However, after they graduated, they always have high difficulties in securing a job. For example, in 2020, their unemployment rate was 11% while the overall rate was 5.8%.
A study conducted in 2018 found that, near 60% of the respondents had never had contact with a person with SEN, and 26% of the respondents were unwilling to work with them.
The unemployment problem does not only cause poverty of SEN, but also creates health problem of the SEN themselves and their family problem.
SOAPER Work aims to motivate the SEN to learn to work, connect them with the public and prospective employers, train them on the soft skills, and support the social workers to have all-round assessment of the value, attitude, knowledge and skills of the SEN for the good of their personal development.
To support this programme,
• corporation partners could join the workshops facilitated by the SEN trainees, and
• hotel partners could participate in the soap dispensers recycling programme operated by the SEN trainees.
Last but not least, this programme would not be launched without the help of committed supporters like the Tsui Ngai Co-production Centre of CFSC, Fullness Social Enterprises Society, and MakerBay Foundation. Soap Cycling is grateful for meeting them on the ESG journey.
To learn more about the programme, please visit https://www.sie.gov.hk/…/funded-ventures/detail.page…
