SEND career training offered to local employers

One in 50 people in the UK have unique learning challenges and disabilities. Only 5.1 per cent of these individuals are in paid employment. In Solihull, there are currently close to two thousand young people with SEND - 70 per cent of which are in mainstream schools.

Solihull Careers Hub held consultations with employers about the barriers to recruiting young people with additional needs.

A key factor mentioned is the lack of familiarity with additional needs. And even where there is understanding, there is often a lack of awareness of how to support people with special needs in the workplace. Concerns with the risks, stressors and additional resources associated with this can be a deterrent.

Crucially there is a lack of awareness of the benefits of recruiting people with additional needs. As such many young people who seek work experience or employment often face rejection.

Solihull Careers Hub work with schools and employers to provide information and engagement opportunities to prepare young people to make their best next steps towards their desired futures. They bring together 24 secondary schools and colleges across the Borough, including eight Special Educational Needs providers and Alternative Provision Units.

A key focus for the hub is to change the trajectory of outcomes for young people with SEND, so they can confidently offer their talents in pursuit of their highest aspirations, within a mainstream economy that values and enables their contribution.

The SEND Employer Hub support employers that work with Solihull schools to:

• Learn about additional-needs in the workplace
• Recognise the talents and qualities amongst our young people that enhance and align perfectly with the modern workplace environment and its broad functionalities.
• Learn by experience through involvement in careers activities what it really means to cultivate and benefit from an inclusive workplace culture.

To ensure their school and college careers programmes impact the futures of young people with additional needs in meaningful ways and equip employers supporting our schools with the knowledge and awareness to play their part, the careers hub is providing free SEND Awareness and Careers Pathway Training for local employers.

Noel Dunne, founder and director of the Creative Alliance, said: “All young people, irrespective of their backgrounds, experiences and abilities, have the potential to bring possibility and add value into a workplace.

“As business leaders, we have a key responsibility in creating the opportunities for young people with additional needs to demonstrate their potential. This is why I am fully supportive of the careers hub SEND training for employers and providers”.

Register HERE for live online training on Tuesday 10 October at 5pm