National service launched to support the disabled into work
By Hearing Times
Employment specialists Kennedy Scott and Central YMCA have combined the best of their talents to work in strategic partnership to deliver the Government’s pan disability Specialist Employability Support Contract.
The Specialist Employability Support (SES) programme will ensure 375 disabled people across the country receive work-related support annually. It is expected to help 123 disabled people into jobs over the course of an initial two year contract.
This initiative will support the governments’ bold ambition to ensure more disabled people can benefit from the UK’s growing economy and jobs market. Recent statistics revealed a year-on-year increase of 141,000 disabled people in work – the equivalent of nearly 400 more for every day of the year, as the government has committed to halving the disability employment gap.
KS@YMCA will utilise its innovative Circle of Support model which provides targeted help to unemployed disabled adults with very severe barriers to getting into employment. The Circle of Support will be tailored to each customer and include all the right people to help the customer to achieve their goals. This could include family and friends, health professionals, housing advisors or other support services. This will provide a sustainable support network and a shared vision to help the customer to progress.
The new SES contract launches on the 1 of September, and staff, employers and key stakeholders will celebrate the beginning of this collaboration at a reception on Friday 21st August. The programme will build on Kennedy Scott’s 25 year history of supporting people to start sustainable, fulfilling careers and be fused with Central YMCA’s 171 year history of changing lives through education, training and campaigning.
Teresa Scott, CEO of Kennedy Scott said, “We are thrilled to formally launch our partnership with Central YMCA and celebrate the start of SES together. Our shared ethos is that disabilities do not and should not define people, rather their life chances should be determined by their talents, their abilities and hard work. With our combined infrastructure, experience and capacity, I am confident that KS@YMCA can make a real impact in this vital task through our innovative Circle of Support model”.
Lady Andree Deane-Barron, Managing Director of YMCA Training said, “Central YMCA are extremely excited to be working with Kennedy Scott and the Specialist Employability Support project. The KS@YMCA circle of support, along with the experience and commitment of the two organisations, provides the ultimate platform to move forwards successfully. The launch on 1st September, will see many hours of hard work and dedication came to fruition, and now we have the real opportunity to impact onto people’s lives in a positive way”.
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