Employees from the Expedia Group Singapore office attended the Open Pathways Apprenticeship Program launch ceremony that featured a traditional Chinese Dragon dance.People with disabilities often face obstacles to employment due to low societal expectations, stigma, and lack of access to education and training. Fortunately, this trend is changing due to innovative company programs. To help provide professional development opportunities for people with disabilities, Expedia Group launched a pilot program in February 2024 in its Singapore office – the Open Pathways Apprenticeship Program, designed to help address these inequities in employment. The pilot program provides an opportunity for people with disabilities to develop valuable skills and gain experience which can lead to broader employment opportunities and financial independence. The pilot is a partnership between Expedia Group, Hilton, the Singapore government, and non-profit agencies SGEnable and Tomowork. To start, Expedia Group is bringing on three apprentices who’ll work for both the travel company and Hilton for six months in a series of rotational assignments including extensive training and the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the travel industry. The program aims to breaking down the entrenched institutional barriers that have limited the growth opportunities for people with disabilities and will move beyond mere recruitment to professional development to help foster a more inclusive travel industry that is more nurturing and accessible.
The video features one of the apprentices participating in a ceremony called Lo Hei, or prosperity food toss.
