We want all our learners, and those we reach through our services, to have aspirations for employment. Employment in its widest context is supported work, sheltered employment, work placements, volunteering and purposeful positive activity.
Only 30% of autistic adults are in any kind of paid employment.¹ Furthermore, the national statistic for people with disabilities in employment are only making minor improvements, with just over 53% in employment.² Never has it been more important for us to focus on these outcomes, as we currently face a national and international uncertainty in the shadow of the pandemic.
In 2020, City Bridge Foundation, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, made a grant of £178,400 to BeyondAutism spread over five years to develop strategies, partnerships, a toolkit, and an employment pathway through our services and beyond into adulthood.
Our employment project includes:
- working with the senior teams to develop the strategy for employability
- developing a toolkit of resources to be used within our services and beyond
- developing vocational assessments, person-centred plans, and referral systems for our students to enter employment and related activities
- creating training for employers to develop their knowledge – enrol in our course today
- building on our current portfolio of work placements to ensure a broad and representative range of vocational opportunities
- working in partnership with the wider Research and Learning team to develop training resources for employers
- becoming a wider influence on the perceptions of autistic people and work; changing attitudes with employers, families, and learners about what outcomes and aspirations can look like.
If you would like to get in touch about the programme, email the team today.