Back then in 1985 with good foresight from then Ministry of Community Development and Singapore Council of Social Service, Bizlink Centre was set up as a project to establish “Employment Program for the Disabled”.
Since then, we had conducted more than 12,000 vocation assessments and secured more than 6,000 open employment jobs for our clients.
We remember the establishment of Bizlink attracted a lot of attention from the media because of the employment program that catered to serve all types of disabilities. The program was subsequently known as “The Alternate Workforce”.
In 1988, we operated at the first premises at 200 Tembeling Road. In 1989, the name “Bizlink Centre” was to replace the “Employment Program for the Disabled”. The name “Bizlink” was carefully chosen because the Board wanted the organization to “serve as the link between the business world and the disability community”.
On 21st January 1995, Bizlink Centre was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. Since then it has been known as “Bizlink Centre Singapore Ltd”.
In August 1997, Bizlink Centre shifted to an industrial building at Chai Chee Lane.
Our fondest memory has indeed come from our first job given by Ming Say Pte Ltd for our sheltered workshop clients on the assembling of umbrellas. About 20 clients were involved in the work.
The second job was QC checking, the checking of electronic capacitors from Taiyo Yuden Pte Ltd. There were about 15 work stations in the workshop. It looked impressive because the environment looked like that of a factory.
Over the years, many memorable events were organized by Bizlink. To name a few, on 31 July 1996, Bizlink organized “The Potential Workforce Conference” at Shangri-La Hotel and the Guest-of-Honour was Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, then Minister for Community Development.
On 27 November 1996, Bizlink organized “The Open Employment Awards Programme” for model employers and employees, at Pan Pacific Hotel and the Guest-of-Honour was also Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, then Minister for Community Development.
On 1-4 March 1999, Bizlink assisted the International Labour Organisation (ILO)/ Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in organizing a Technical Consultation entitled “Developing an Effective Placement Service for People with Disabilities” in Singapore for 34 participants from ten countries (Cambodia, China, Hongkong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam) at Hotel Asia and Guest-of-Honour was Mdm Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, then Chairman, Government Parliamentary Committee (Manpower) and Deputy Secretary General of the Singapore National Trade Union Congress.
Subsequent to this Technical Consultation, a series of workshops were organized by ILO in the region. Two senior Bizlink staff were invited as resource persons for their 5-day workshop held in Thailand, China, Vietnam and Malaysia over the months of May-July 1999. On 7 November 2001, Bizlink organized “The Open Employment Awards Programme” again for model employers and employees, at Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre and Guest-of-Honour was Mr Lim Boon Heng, then Minister without Portfolio & Secretary-General of NTUC.
In 2007, Bizlink pioneered two successful jobs fair with South West CDC and Central CDC which brought jobs to the heartlands for its alternate workforce of people with disabilities. This was the first time in Singapore’s social service history that exclusive job fairs of such coordinated scale for people with disabilities were ever organized.
We are proud to host many foreign counterparts in their study trips to Singapore to share our experiences with them over the years.
Besides walk-in clients, we receive referrals for assistance from all quarters of our Singapore community ranging from Istana office, hospitals, Members of Parliament, grassroots organizations to voluntary welfare organizations.
Today, after serving our beneficiaries for 27 years, Bizlink has grown from strength to strength and is seen as the household name for assisting people who may deem to be physically, socially, psychologically, intellectually, economically or in any other way inept, limited, or otherwise disadvantaged, to be gainfully employed as part of the mainstream workforce.
We will continue to impact the lives of our beneficiaries as we recognize that employment not only plays a crucial role in providing financial independence to them, it will also enable each individual to live life to the fullest.
