European Social Fund in England

Mencap pathway employment service

Title: Mencap Pathway Employment Service

Funding type: CFO

CFO: Essex Development & Regeneration Agency (ExDRA)

Funding: £300,857

Target Group: People with Learning Disabilities

Start date: Jun-05

End date: Jun-07

Mencap's Pathway Employment Service based in Colchester helps people with varied learning and social disabilities to gain skills, confidence and most importantly, employment. 90% of the Programme Members are qualified to NVQ L2 or below and many live in rural areas where they are cut off socially in remote villages. The project shares Mencap's national objective of ensuring that people with a learning disability and their families and carers get their full rights, together with the support they need. They are fighting for change and understanding in society, to ensure that the people they support get treated fairly and get the same chances as any one else to gain meaningful employment.

When Programme Member's are first referred to Pathway, they have an initial assessment to identify the skills they have and what they like doing. They are assigned a co-ordinator who helps them gain work experience, search for job vacancies, prepare for and attend interviews and help them work out and develop those basic job essentials such as setting up a bank account, working out a bus route and gaining confidence to travel independently. Once a Programme Member has gained employment, the co-ordinator will spend a day or more if needed, on the job with them to ensure that they are happy and confident in their role. They are very flexible in the delivery of their service as everyone's needs are different, so they tailor their approach to fit the Programme Member.

The project also has links with other organisations and training providers to refer Members to if they want to complete qualifications or build up specific skills. They can also help them to develop socially and can work with InterAct's 'Circles of Support' volunteer social group to achieve this. Duncan is one such Member who attends this scheme, as recommended by his co-ordinator Kerry.

Duncan has Aspergers syndrome and found it difficult to talk to people before he came to Mencap. He was very quiet at the beginning and wasn't used to being out by himself or using public transport independently. Thanks to his co-ordinator at Mencap, it's now a very different story.

Duncan has completed volunteer work, gained a Clait + qualification, has nearly completed his European Computer Driving Licence and now works 8 hours a week as a shelving assistant at Colchester Library. "I enjoy my job very much. I've always been extremely fond of reading, which is why I wanted to work in the library. Pathway has been extremely helpful over the time I've been here and have been an enormous help. I couldn't have done it without them." - Duncan.

Dealing with customer inquiries has helped Duncan's communication skills and confidence levels and he is now developing his social life by attending 'Circles of Support'. He would like to increase his hours and duties in the library and would like to gain an NVQ in Library Work, things he couldn't even have dream about before Mencap.

Mencap have assisted 48 Programme Member's to date with their R2 ESF funding. They have helped 13 Programme Member's with learning disabilities to gain employment, 7 to go onto further education and 1 to gain voluntary employment.

The Programme Member's, who have gained employment, have been assisted to find jobs that are appropriate and interesting to them. They have therefore obtained employment and positions that are very varied, including: Assistant Greenkeeper at 5 Lakes Golf and Country Club; Waitress at Nando's; Caretaker Assistant at Colchester Sixth Form; Assembly Operator at Bowens International and Admin Assistant at Dream 100. The hours they work also vary between 4 and 40 hours a week, depending on their needs.

In each case, the Programme Member's have been helped to build up their social skills and confidence and are employed in areas that reflect their interests and needs, resulting in happy working and social lives.

For more information please contact:

Julia Butkus

Project Manager

Tel: 01206 564431

Julia.butkus@mencap.org.uk