[SINGAPORE] Private sector companies are answering the call for social entrepreneurship to serve the needy and disadvantaged, even as they keep up with their money-making businesses.

Some businesses are partnering social enterprises - which are set up to directly address a social need - and are hiring needy, disadvantaged workers. In some cases, this requires redesigning jobs and putting in place special equipment.

Holiday Inn Parkview, for example, has been employing intellectually disabled staff for the past 10 years. It currently works with the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore to identify potential employees.

The hotel's housekeepers also train students at the Delta Senior School, which is part of the Association for Persons with Special Needs (APSN), and employ some of them upon completion of their modules. It currently employs up to 18 persons with disabilities (PWDs).

"We are stepping up to promote the employment of persons with disabilities by proactively equipping them with the appropriate skills to integrate into society," said the hotel's general manager, Shantha de Silva.

Kelvin Teo, head of the East and South-east Asia region for an international social enterprise, Schwab Foundation, noted that corporate social responsibility is now "fashionable" among private sector companies.

But companies need to "adjust their view of social responsibility away from being an obligation, to being a strategic part of business", Mr Teo added.

Some retailers in Singapore have started employing needy disadvantaged workers as salespersons.

The Timberland Company collaborates with Pertapis Centre for Women and Girls and the Bukit Batok Boys Hostel to offer training and employment opportunities to the young people under Pertapis' care. "With a well-established retail network in Singapore, we felt we were in a good position to offer a few Pertapis residents that opportunity and after a screening process, we have hired four of them to work as retail associates in Timberland stores across the island," said Andre Cohen, managing director of Timberland.

Likewise, local streetwear retailer 77th Street takes in school drop-outs as sales assistants and trains some to eventually become supervisors and managers.

It founded the Young Entrepreneur Mastery (TYEM) programme to inculcate entrepreneurship in schools and tertiary institutions. TYEM in turn, kick-started the Youth Regeneration Programme that identifies young people at risk or the physically disabled, turning them into real estate agents.

Elim Chew, founder and president of 77th Street, is also the founding member and director of Social Innovation Park (SIP), a social enterprise incubator that provides services and resources to support social entrepreneurs' business solutions.

SIP held a two-day forum starting yesterday, where some 200 participants from the public and private sectors looked into how business enterprises can become social enterprises. Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, said at the forum that compassionate capitalism is gaining popularity.

The Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award was also presented at the SIP forum last night to Kenny Low of CHEC and O School. CHEC provides non-profit, alternative education for youths given a second chance, while O School is a performing arts centre that generates revenue in order to offset CHEC's rental and student bursaries. There are an estimated 150 social enterprises operating in Singapore. To do its bit, DBS Bank said that it is keen to support social enterprises by engaging its small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) bankers to provide financial advice and customised banking services, and arrange business mentoring.

DBS is also the main sponsor of the SIP forum, which ends today.

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