EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Seeing through the myths
Gloucestershire is leading the way in getting more people with disabilities into work. One in five people have a disability or a health condition that limits their ability to work. Disability is a term that conjures up a negative picture about what someone can do. However, someone’s disability could be a positive thing, it could help them do a job. Sometimes a person’s disability can mean they are more suited to certain types of jobs. Reports suggest that only 50 per cent of disabled people are working, compared to 80 per cent of the population, and this 30 per cent employment gap has remained constant for several years. But in Gloucestershire this picture is changing. The county benefits from one of the most comprehensive programmes of employment support for disabled people, which is being led by Gloucestershire County Council. The council is working across all ages and all employment sectors, offering a range of support to help employers tap into a pool of talent that can bring benefits to their business. Disabled people often do not have the same access in school to work experience opportunities, which limits their ability to build their CV.This continues as they get older, when they find it difficult to find work. At the heart of the county council’s programme is the opportunity of time-limited work placements, which range from a six week supported work placement through to a nine month supported internship for a college student. Participants have the chance to learn skills and be able to put something positive on their CV. As an employer, the county council appreciates first- hand the benefits of employing people with lived experience. Their Forwards Employment Service provides support for people to find work and employs people with disabilities to deliver this support. Vikki Walters, strategic lead for disability employment, said: “We feel that as an employer it is important to demonstrate our commitment. We actively recruit disabled people to work as part of our team. By bringing the talents and experiences of people with lived experience into the team, we have a broad spectrum of experience and knowledge, that can be used to maintain a high quality of delivery to all of our customers.”
Case studies: Forwards Employment Service
Simon has a learning disability and, as a volunteer for many years, he has aspired to secure a paid job.Together
with his job broker through the Forwards Employment Service, he created a plan to fulfil his goals. He was flexible as to the work he wanted and a work experience placement was created at Cineworld. Funding was applied for to support Simon in his role at Cineworld and, before starting work, he met with his job coach and line manager to discuss working hours and support required.
Simon proved to be an enthusiastic asset to the team. He was ultimately offered paid employment, with support in certain areas of his role. He has now completed all his training and is working without his job coach. AIM (Assisted Internship Model) 17 year old Lauren started a placement at Charfield
School, as part of an AIM supported internship arranged by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. AIM is a college programme enabling young people with disabilities to spend their final year of education in a workplace. Employers are supported by job coaches to help young people learn tasks. Jane Stephens from SGS said: “The confidence and employability skills of young people on Supported
Internships at SGS have improved dramatically. There is a real increase in students going on to paid work from internships with a wide variety of employers. The support and guidance they receive from employers and
76 | February 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
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