Supported Employment

Investment for Change Funding

Project Name: Supported Employment

Project Start Date: 01/09/07
Project End Date: 31/03/08

Project Description:
To develop a partnership between a local college and several partners to provide work based education/experience for 15 young people with learning disabilities, around the hospitality trade leading onto employment for the students who take part.
The project will be supported be a Project Development Manager (employed by MENCAP) who will oversee the partnership work during year one and provide leadership in developing the partnership aim to establish discrete local residential college provision through a Bed & Breakfast facility for 30 students a year.
The work based education component of the project, supporting 15 people to attend education placements that will be completed through a model of work based learning, will be provided by Weston College. The college will be delivering individual training packages to each student through an outreach tutor and support worker, whose roles will include:-

Engaging potential learners
Developing individual learning plans
Mentoring and supporting learners
Liaison with Brandon Trust, Freeways and People First – who will each provide 5 work placements.

Project Aims:

Establish a local partnership between six partners linked to education, work placements and jobs as a pathway for young people with learning disabilities in North Somerset.
Increase opportunities for young people with learning disabilities to apply for posts within the local college unit and provide those leaving the course with support into paid employment.
Provide students with appropriate key work skills, including attitudinal and motivational skills
Provide training for work in a sector that has many hard to fill vacancies due to the recruitment/retention issues in the local area.
Increase the profile of people with learning disabilities in the local community, particularly with local employers within the hospitality industry in North Somerset, who will be made aware of the college’s provision and encouraged to recruit for unfilled vacancies through newly established links.
Foster opportunities to develop new business and potential Social Enterprise, around the Hospitality and Catering Sector.

Project Outcomes:

During the first year, the project will deliver outcomes for 15 young people to gain qualification in the hospitality industry via work placements.
For at least 5 people to gain jobs as a result of the project.
By the end of year one a comprehensive development plan will be in place to sustain and extend the project through a work based residential college facility.

Contribution to LSC objectives & priorities:

This project will be delivered through multi-agency collaboration to help learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities to develop skills which help them progress to further learning and employment.

The project aims to provide real employment opportunities for learners and will fulfil the LSC’s aims “to invest in high quality and innovative provision that supports individuals entering education and training to improve their lives, strengthen their career opportunities, and develop their self confidence and/or ability to live independently” (source: The South West Regional Strategy for LSC funded provision: 2006/07 to 2009/10)

In support of the regional LLDD strategy, the project will provide the opportunity to develop and test a new model of provision that will improve learner choice locally and reduce the need for learners to seek placements out-of-county.

Key milestones:

End Nov 07 –

Appointment of Project Development Worker – MENCAP(copy job advertisement and specification to LSC)
Appointment of Outreach Tutor and Support Worker to co-ordinate and deliver individualised learner programmes – Weston College (copy job advertisements and specifications to LSC)
Referral system between partners established, documented and available for audit – Weston College
Recruitment of staff to support work placement students - Brandon, Freeways, People First (copy job advertisements and specifications to LSC)
Identification of areas of work in each placement - Brandon, Freeways, People First.
Devise Individual Learning Plan for each learner (available for audit)

End Dec 07 –

Students supported into identified work placements - Brandon, Freeways, People First.
Delivery of core employability modules to small groups underway – Weston College (materials and learner attendance available for audit)
Engagement with employers and facilitation of employer training – Weston College (materials and learner attendance available for audit)

End Mar 07

Monitoring meetings established between Weston College and Work Place Providers to review student progress and identify additional support needs (records available for audit)
Forward action plan completed, detailing further milestones and commitment to evaluate the programme and report back to the LSC by 30/11/08 – all partners

Project Partners:
North Somerset Council
Weston College
Freeways
Connexions

Contact Details:
Alison Stone,
Planning & Development Manager
Partnership House, Building 400,
Worle Parkway,
Weston-super-Mare,
BS22 6WA
01934 426035
alison.stone@n-somerset.gov.uk

Progress to date: The staff identified for this project have been recruited and are working to the outcomes

The project continues to plough ahead. All fifteen of the students have been identified and Weston College has completed assessments in terms of education profiles around developing individual learning plans.

All fifteen students have started their work placements with The Brandon Trust, Freeways and People First.

The steering group continues to meet monthly and has agreed to complete an update and evaluation for each meeting. A half day session has been arranged for the second week of Jan 08 to look at developing a business plan for the longer term plan of developing a residential college in North Somerset.