Skills and employment
Supported employment service for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism
The Supported Employment Service is aimed at helping adults aged over 18 years, with learning disabilities and/or autism find and sustain employment by building confidence, developing skills and matching these with job opportunities.
The service, which follows the British Association of Supported Employment’s best practice approach, provides all the support needed to secure and sustain employment, including providing support for employers to create diverse and inclusive workplaces.
Matching employees and employers
The service matches clients to a role, taking into account the requirements of both the potential employee and the employer.
Potential employees
When we start working with you, we look at your skills, qualifications, experiences and aspirations, and match these with jobs. We carry out ‘better off in work’ calculations including travel to work planning, looking at any adjustments that may be required. We provide support to create a great CV and prepare you for interviews. We work closely with a wide range of local employers to ensure the right fit and an environment where you can be successful in your new role. We will also help arrange work trials so you can try a job and gain valuable experience.
Ongoing support
Once a successful job match has been made we
- continue to offer support to ensure that you have all the training you need and that you’re happy in your role
- provide ongoing support for the employer, making sure we’re on hand to offer information and guidance if and when they need it
- help you gain independence in the workplace and acquire valuable skills that will keep you in employment.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the service you must be:
- Over the age of 18
- Unemployed and not in full time education
- Not on any other employment support funded programme
- Have a diagnosed learning disability and or autism
- Want to find paid employment
Employers
The Supported Employment service is free and offers a comprehensive package of support for employers, including:
- A free recruitment service
- Finding the right employee by identifying skills, abilities, interests, and experiences to enable a good job match
- Providing workforce training in workplace diversity and inclusion
- Time unlimited, tailored support
- Supporting you to make reasonable adjustments - if required - to accommodate workforce diversity
- Information, advice and guidance
- In-work support with induction and training (if required)
The benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce are far reaching:
- Improved job retention and job satisfaction in the workplace
- Enables you to hire dedicated and well-matched workers, from a wide talent pool
- Great for company reputation and demonstrates your corporate social responsibility
- Reduces recruitment costs
- Promotes an inclusive work culture and teamwork
- More diverse companies have greater levels of innovation and attract a diverse customer base
- Reflects the local community
- Improves profitability
Supported Employment brings:
- Valued support – good quality and free
- Customer service – trusted, friendly, responsive
- Knowledge and experience of disability
- Convenience – local and easy to access
- Good reputation, credible and well branded
- Ethical service with good aftercare
Together let’s create a workplace where diversity and inclusion thrive.
The Supported Employment service works with adults with learning disabilities or autism and helps them to find their ideal jobs. Our focus is on understanding your business needs and finding the right person for the position.
Great news! We have supported over 60 people to secure paid employment across Cheshire West and Chester, with great job sustainment figures.
The Supported Employment Service has been supporting people to find and sustain paid employment for the past 18 months.
- We have currently supported more than 100 people
- 53% have secured paid work so far
We focus on getting the right jobs for the people we support. We do this by matching people’s skills and aspirations with the employer’s need. This ensures that people work and sustain their jobs for a long time.
Currently 70% of people who are in-work have kept their jobs for over 3 months, and these figures will keep going up as more time passes.
Participants tell us:
'This service is a lifeline for people like me and I honestly don't know how I'd manage without it’
'My Employment Support Officer has a very good understanding of my specific needs and his support has been crucial in me finding work. He is now assisting me to stay in employment.'
Employers' feedback:
Great communication and tailoring of support to individuals needs and work environment’
‘The supported employment service has been amazing offering support through out the recruitment process. We can’t thank you enough’
Further information about services to support business can be found on the Let's Talk Business website.
Further information
If you wish to find out more about the service, please contact:
