Zurich Singapore, Z Zurich Foundation and APSN join forces to advance vocational training for adults with special needs

Singapore, November 30, 2023 - Leading insurance company Zurich Singapore, together with the Z Zurich Foundation, today announces a two-year collaboration with APSN which aims at enhancing vocational training opportunities for individuals with mild intellectual disability. This collaboration reflects the shared commitment between Zurich Singapore and APSN towards creating an inclusive and supportive environment that empowers persons with special needs to achieve their full potential.

As part of the collaboration, Zurich Singapore and the Z Zurich Foundation will provide not only funding, but also skills, resources and advocacy to support APSN's vocational training programmes and skills development curriculum. At the heart of this initiative is APSN Centre for Adults (CFA), a sheltered workshop dedicated to empowering individuals with special needs, particularly young adults with mild intellectual disability, by equipping them with practical skills, best practices, and on-the-job training through tailored vocational programmes.

Commenting on the collaboration, Liam Burrell CEO Zurich Singapore & Head of Commercial Insurance Asia said: "We are very pleased to be collaborating with APSN, providing the tools and opportunities to help young adults with special needs to reach their full potential. At Zurich, we believe education and pathways to employability are powerful drivers for ensuring equity and inclusion. We are pleased to have found an organisation committed to empowering individuals with resources so that they are able to thrive and reach their full potential”. 
APSN’s training and placement model has been successful in allowing trainees to maintain employment for over 12 months. The financial investment and volunteering commitment provided by Zurich and the Z Zurich Foundation is expected to create additional capacity within APSN CFA's programmes and services for higher support needs individuals, creating a positive impact for more families and trainees.

The collaboration – which has come about as the result of an employee-led process – formalises an existing relationship between Zurich Singapore and APSN that has been focused on volunteering and fundraising activities. Zurich Singapore will continue to actively engage its employees in various opportunities to support APSN, including weekly volunteering programmes, as well as philanthropy and advocacy initiatives to raise awareness around the issues faced by those with mild intellectual disability. Ultimately, this commitment is focused on creating a meaningful impact in the lives of persons with special needs, empowering them through education and vocational training programmes, enabling them to be active contributors to the society with better, more sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Mr Stanley Tang, APSN CEO said, “We are delighted with the collaboration with Zurich Singapore and the Z Zurich Foundation as it represents a positive step towards breaking down barriers and promoting a society that embraces diversity and empowers individuals with special needs. It opens up more windows of opportunities for our trainees with special needs to contribute back to the society and lead independent and fulfilling lives."

The financial contribution from the Z Zurich Foundation will allow APSN CFA to better support the growing number of trainees with higher support needs, by adapting the curriculum and by adding more customised training packages. The increased quality is expected to increase trainees' abilities to take on higher-paying work.

For the Z Zurich Foundation, a corporate foundation established by several members of Zurich Insurance Group, this collaboration is one of a growing number of grant investments in Asia Pacific that look to enable social equity in a local context. Barbara Jordan, the Z Zurich Foundation’s Asia Pacific representative said: “At the Z Zurich Foundation, we believe that to build a strong sustainable tomorrow, we need resilient, thriving young people. This collaboration aligns with our strategic goal to empower vulnerable young people with the skills and resources to reach their full potential through education, entrepreneurship and employment.”