introduction to engage to change - supported employment · • provide access to untapped work...
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to Engage to Change
Kathy Rivett : Assistant CEO
Chris English : Operations ManagerELITE Supported Employment Agency Ltd
Engage to Change
The five-year Engage to
Change project, started in
June 2016, and will work with
800 employers across Wales to
help 1,000 young people with
learning disability/difficulty
and/or autism to develop their
employment skills through paid
work placements lasting
between 6-12 months.
Why is Engage to Change needed?
The stats……
6% of people with a learning disability are in employment
16% of people with Autism are in full time employment
Compared to 48% of people with a disability in employment
and 80% of non-disabled in employment
The people….
The partnership
Delivery Areas
◎ RCT◎ Merthyr Tydfil
◎ Bridgend◎ Caerphilly◎ Cardiff◎ Vale of Glamorgan
◎ Newport◎ Torfaen
◎ Neath, Port Talbot◎ Swansea
◎ Blaenau Gwent◎ Monmouthshire◎ Carmarthenshire◎ Pembrokeshire
◎ South Powys
◎ North Powys◎ Gwynedd
◎ Ceredigion◎ Conwy
◎ Denbighshire◎ Wrexham
◎ Flintshire◎ Anglesey
Eligibility
• Must have a learning disability /
difficulty or Autism
• Aged 16 – 25
• NEET or at risk of becoming NEET
• Must want to work
• Must have support from family or
support network
◎ Must have potential to develop personal and work skills required to meet
business needs within the employment setting
◎ May be unable to cope with required hours of statutory provision
◎ Must be prepared to undertake training to develop vocational and independent
skills
◎ Would be unable to access Statutory Provision due to support requirements,
stamina, level of ability and personal skills
◎ The individual requires a person centred approach
Referral Process
VOCATIONAL
ACTIVITIESAccredited Training, Travel Training, Work
Experience, Volunteering
LONG TERM PAID
PLACEMENT
Placement in Appropriate Setting, with
1:1 Support and Training
SUSTAINED PAID
EMPLOYMENTVOLUNTEERING
SIGNPOST TO
OTHER PROVISION
MONITORING AND
SUPPORT
ENGAGE TO
CHANGE
PROJECT
PROCESS
So far……
At the end of May, Engage to Change had….
• Received 304 Expressions of interest – 231 referrals
• Supported 23 interns on Project SEARCH
• Supported 85 young people in work experience
• Supported 66 young people in paid placements
• Moved 8 young people into sustained employment
• Engaged with 97 Employers
ELITE has for over 20 years built very strong links with Employers across South
Wales. This has allowed us to build a database in excess of 5000 employers.
We have engaged with Employers whilst supporting individuals with disabilities
and support needs on each of our projects, enabling us to build strong
relationships that has allowed us to:-
• Become a recruitment solution with large employers such as Sainsbury’s
• Build relationships with Regional Managers
• Set up Local and National Agreements
• Set up Project Enable with
NHS Trusts
There are many ways in which we at ELITE are able to introduce young people with
disabilities and support needs to potential employers.
These methods could include:-
• Worksite visits
• Supported Interviews
• Job Tasters
• Job Trial
• Paid Placement
• Sustained Employment
• Appropriate Job Matching
• Travel Training
• Route familiarisation
• In Work Support – Task Training
• Support with social aspects or work
Gerraint Griffiths-Jones
Journey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvQcF2gwg6U&t=1s
• Provide access to untapped work force
• Matching job seeker to vacancy
• Support you and the job seeker through recruitment
• Address induction and training needs
• Identifies their role within the organisation
• Identify any equipment needed
• Provides 1:1 support until independent
• Support / training to your workforce
• Corporate Social Responsibility – Diverse workforce
Engage to Change will not resolve unemployment for all young people with a learning
disability, difficulty or Autism. In fact numbers are low in comparison to other statutory
employment programmes for people with disabilities and health conditions.
Engage to Change Project
• Focus is on longer term paid placement opportunities
(6-12 months) that can lead to sustainable
employment.
• The project is delivered across all of Wales
• Project delivered to meet an unmet need for young
people with a learning disability, difficulty or Autism
who are NEET.
• The project is a starting point that aims to create a
legacy and model of supporting this group of
jobseekers into sustainable employment
• Focus is on real jobs for real wages
Project Outcomes
1. A range of employers pan Wales will have
improved their practice in the workplace by
gaining awareness, knowledge and
understanding of the target group
2 Future government/agency policy on youth
employment/skills for the target group will
have been informed by a continuing
programme of evidence based briefing on
project.
Project Outcomes
3 Adhering to all aspects of the Supported
Employment model, partners will collaborate
and use their mix of skills to secure paid jobs
for the target group.
4 1000 + 16-25 year olds with LDD/ASD pan
Wales will have undertaken a paid job
and/or developed their employability skills
by the end of the project
What’s next?
• Increase engagement with Local Authorities
• Increase engagement with parents/carers
• Identify key areas of policy for lobbying and research presentation
• Recruit and train project ambassadors
• Grow our stakeholder network through regular events and consultation opportunities
How to get involved:
Contact:
Learning Disability Wales – Jenna Trakins 02920 681160 [email protected]
ELITE Supported Employment Agency – 01443 226664
Agoraid Cyf – 01248 361392 [email protected]
All Wales People First – Joe Powell 07972 516328 [email protected]
Cardiff University – Dr Steve Beyer 02920 688431 [email protected]
