Working with young jobseekers with significant learning and support needs.

Hilary Clifford and Stephen Hodgkins, Scope.

CESI Youth Employment Conference, 9th May, 12.30-1.30 – breakout 31.

What are some of the key challenges disabled young people face?

• Post-education support: When disabled young people leave school they can often face a ‘cliff-edge’ of lost provision, with much of their existing support ending suddenly.

• Social isolation: Lack of strong social networks can make it more difficult to find work, develop interpersonal skills, and be supported when entering the labour market.

• Progression: Even when disabled young people do find work placements, it can be a struggle turning these into actual jobs – many end up unsuccessfully ‘cycling’ through scheme after scheme.

• Low wages: Disabled young people who do find work are often paid badly, or hold part-time or temporary jobs. This means work is not necessarily a way to improve living standards

What can be done to improve their situation?

• Appropriate placement matching: like everyone else, disabled young people are strongly motivated to work by their interests and aspirations.

• Building relationships: our First Impressions programme shows that supporting disabled young people to build strong peer networks is an essential part of being supported into work.

• Links with other support services: for a disabled young person to meaningfully take up training, study or employment a multitude of other services often need to be coordinated and brought together such as access to work, transport, social care, housing, benefits and others.

‘… hidden conditions can make social interaction difficult …’

• ‘… I was really nervous …’

• ‘… not knowing what working was like, made it difficult …’

• ‘… even leaving the house can be hard …’

‘… supporting each other with confrontational customers …’

• ‘… accessible learning support should be tailored to the individual’s style …’

• ‘… communicating with control when issues occur … being supported by colleagues to deal with conflict …’

• ‘… being able to work with people in new situations …’

‘… this helped me think clearly about what I want to do in the future …’

• ‘… it helped me to realise my strength, and the areas to improve on …’

• ‘… it was nice to feel valued …’

• ‘… the staff made me fell comfortable and welcome …’

‘… work experience has improved my CV …’

• ‘… [the physical environment] can make working scary …’

• ‘… I now know how important work is …’

• ‘… but I still don’t have a job …’

‘… I had a great boss who took an interest in me …’

• ‘… low confidence made me stutter a lot at interviews …’

• ‘… I built confidence by working together with others and this made me feel safe …’

• ‘… one to one support, knowing what to expect, and say …’

‘… having no interview experience makes it scary …’

• ‘… knowing what to say, and what not to say helps …’

• ‘… practicing eye contact and voice pitch in the one to one session has helped …’

• ‘… learned about typical questions that might be asked, and to plan to ask questions back…’

Reflections• Accessibility - How do we and employees provide appropriate

accessible support to disabled trainees/workers.?

 • Accepting impairment – What do we understand about impairment

and its expression in everyday life? How do we ensure we do not bias our interactions with participants through .

 • Diversity and Disability Identity – How do we promote proud

disabled identities, that value individual experiences and the negotiation of barriers? 

 • Employment rights – How can we support employees to understand

rights and responsibilities at work? How can we support better disclosure and provision of ‘reasonable adjustments’?