Working with young people with disabilities and learning difficulties

Connexions has a policy of promoting equality of opportunity and there are a number of Personal Advisers who work with young people who have special needs such as sensory or physical disabilities or learning difficulties.

Connexions usually works with young people aged 13 to 19 but this can be extended up to age 24 when there is a special need. As with any young person we need to provide high quality work experience and employment opportunities for these young people.

Supported Employment
Research has shown that there are good business reasons for employing people with disabilities:

Disabled people in work tend to have better attendance records, stay with employers longer and have fewer accidents at work. (Source: Unlocking Potential - The Employers Forum on Disability 2002)
Customers will view the organisation as more representative and diverse
20% of the working population are disabled
1 million disabled people are unemployed but want to work
There are 8.5 million disabled people in the UK, spending approximately £40 billion a year on goods and services.

Most disabled people can work alongside their non-disabled colleagues without any, or with very little, special assistance. Others may need some adjustment to the working environment or working practices, but adjustments can be straightforward and often inexpensive to implement.

Jobcentre Plus has a number of schemes to help people with disabilities and employers overcome work related obstacles to participation. For more details click here.

Approximately 150 employers in the Nottinghamshire area have been awarded the Jobcentre’s Disability Symbol. These employers have agreed to meet five commitments regarding employment, retention, training and career development of disabled employees, including an undertaking to interview all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy.

Ready4Work

The Ready4Work team at Nottinghamshire County Council offers support to employers looking to recruit disabled people into employment.

The Ready4Work team work closely with employers offering a free service that assists an employer in recruiting disabled people. This includes a vacancy taking and recruitment service to match the right person for the job with each employer.

In addition, free support is also offered to the employer, which includes:

Help with obtaining funding for additional support (if required).
Unique support package for employers and employees which can include disability awareness training.
Assistance with funding for training.
Guidance and support with health and safety and legal requirements.

There is no time limit to the support, it is offered to the employer and employee for as long as it is required. However, the eventual aim is to allow the employee to progress from supported employment to unsupported employment.

Funding can also be provided directly to a business to help provide any additional support the individual recruited may require and the Ready4Work team can also help businesses to identify any adaptations that may be required in the workplace.

For further information, please contact the Ready4Work Team directly on: 0115 9340777 or 0115 9340767 or visit the website at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/supportedemployment

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