Into Apprenticeships and Training: Why Employing Disabled People Benefits Employers
Conference February 27th, 2020
This event was presented by our Disability and Skills Unit and provided information and best practice examples about learning, training and work.
Kamran Mallick, Disability Rights UK CEO, talked about apprenticeships as a great pathway for many disabled people to enter the workplace and become an asset to that business, as well as the different levels that can lead to a career and the structured programme where both employer and the individual work together.
Mike Thompson, Sustain HR, talked about the various barriers disabled people encounter when applying for jobs and the programme Barclays designed to tap into a much broader group of individuals. He also gave an overview of the research project done with the Open University on access to apprenticeships.
Presentation: Research into the accessibility of apprenticeships- what employers really want
Link: http://www.open.ac.uk/business/access-to-apprenticeships
Corie Brown & Nicole Steven, Channel 4 Television, talked about attracting, retaining and developing great disabled talent and about their lived experience of working with disability.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0VPlqegTKM
Adam Hyland, Diversity and Ability, talked about the benefits that diversity and inclusion bring to an organisation and highlighted the way some companies are still lagging behind.
Presentation: Benefiting from authentic inclusion in the workplace
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Gp6_LPmXc&t=7s
Nathan McInnes & Sarah Carter, Department for Education, talked about routes into employment, support available for apprentices with Education, Health and Care Plans and funding streams available for training providers and employers.
Presentation: Support for inclusive employment
Joy Adeleye & Crystal Forrester, Department for Work and Pensions, talked about Access to Work and the support it provides for people with health conditions or disabilities to move into or remain in employment, what it could pay for, and what support young disabled people can get.
Presentation: Access to Work - supporting young people with disabilities into and in the workplace
Luke Nadin, Microlink PC, talked about the barriers he faced, going to university, his work journey and how he got into Microlink PC. He also talked about his cv and shortcut to success videos.
Presentation: Transitioning from education into the workplace: One year on
Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j42w0v4jDDQ
https://www.microlinkpc.com/news/lukes-shortcut-to-success-as-a-disabled-person/
Chloe O’Toole, Channel 4 Television, talked about her journey from being an apprentice to having a full-time job, the many opportunities offered by channel 4, her achievements and becoming apprentice of the year in 2018.
Presentation: My Journey at Channel 4
Joel Balkwill, Spiral Skills, talked about the work they do with a range of young people and equip them to participate in society, make independent choices and create immersive career experiences that replicate the world of work. He also engaged everyone with activities centred around trust and communication, strengths and barriers, solutions and interventions and networks that provides the support that ensures young people don't fall through the gaps.
Presentation: We believe in Youth
Anna Morrison CBE, Amazing Apprenticeships, talked about the work they do with teachers across the country so they can feel more confident and on board with apprenticeships and share that information with their colleagues, parents, students, and other stakeholders they meet. She also explained about the three different strands of the Ask Programme designed to support every educational establishment in England with students in years 10 to 13.
Presentation: Supporting disabled students to access apprenticeships
Adam Tweed, AbilityNet, talked about the accessibility consultancy, web development training and services they provide, about disability driving innovation and the free Microsoft assistive technology available.
Presentation: The tools you can take with you – free in the box assistive technology
Ellen Atkinson, Preparing for Adulthood, talked about raising employment aspirations and expectations of children and young people, to do things in a person-centred way and how work experience makes a huge difference to the outcome for a young person.
Presentation: Planning for employment
Sousan Luqman & John Byrne, Elfrida Rathbone Camden, talked about empowering their students to cope with the difference between aspirations and life as it happens, work experience and about reflection, resourcing and resilience.
Jane Hatton, Director Evenbreak, talked about her social enterprise bringing together those employers who want to attract disabled candidates and those candidates who want to find employers that will take them seriously and about evidence out there that shows us that disabled people are on average just as productive as non‑disabled people.
Presentation: Disabled candidates are premium candidates
Education