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Kent Supported Employment

Many Kent businesses  tell us that recruiting the right staff is difficult. Meanwhile lots of very talented people with supported needs are available to fill those positions

Here at Jobsinkent.com we work in conjunction with The Education People , a company owned by Kent County Council

 

“TheEducation People  team help small businesses fill this recruitment gap by finding you a suitable candidate with additional needs. It may be someone with Asperger’s or a learning disability who on initial application you wouldn’t consider – but this person could be just the one to get your data and accounts in order.”

We can help you find the best person for the job and help you to become a more inclusive and diverse workplace.

The Business Case

Why should you employ people from this talent pool ?

Over 17% of Kent residents ( 2011 census ) have a long term health issue or disability. However evidence shows that people with a disability tend to have higher attendance records, stay with the same employer longer and are more engaged.

Employing disabled people using our service can help your business:

  • Access to a wider pool of talent
  • Reduce your recruitment costs
  • Improve the diverse profile of your workforce
  • Improve your company image, become an employer of choice
  • Increase your staff retention rates

cost-free specialist supported employment service for people with disabilities and disadvantages.
We professionally support people with a disability or disadvantage to prepare, find and stay in paid employment.

The Education People work closely with businesses to make sure that a suitable new members of staff is recruited. There are four steps to the process:
1.       Contact the team about your vacancy
2.       They will help you advertise the role in a disability friendly way – they may already have a potential candidate or two
3.       They will help you with the interview process
4.       Upon finding a successful candidate, they will come to your place of work to help your new member of staff settle in

One business who has used their services said: “”Over the past three years we have had support from TEP and employed several people with a disability working in our production facility.

One such employee with Autism, who started as a casual worker, has now been employed with us for over two years. He is a valued and reliable member of staff assisting our maintenance manager on the factory floor and looks after the grounds around the building.”

A comprehensive package of advice, guidance and support, including:

  • Conducting employee specific risk assessments in the workplace
  • Guidance with understanding the Equality Act
  • Help to implement occupational health assessment advice
  • Practical hands-on 1:1 support, with a structured  plan
  • Offer individualised training for your staff.
  • Specialised instructions for the employee to be trained to carry out the tasks of the job to meet your expectations

Our support is ongoing until the employee adapts to the workplace and gains the confidence to work independently of support. Support can be called on to deal with any unforeseen issues that may arise requiring the professional expertise of our staff.

To find out more and to discuss your needs please contact Our Employer Engagement Coordinator Mark Parrin at [email protected] or Telephone 03000 416550.

 Partners

We also work closely with Maidstone based Ethical HR  A specialist HR consulting practice. Amanda and her team help organisations with accessing talent with autism and supported needs as well as helping organisations develop their diversity and inclusion corporate social responsibility programmes . They help candidates and hirers with specifically tailored interview techniques. To find our more visit their website here Ethical HR Solutions or Email Amanda Parvin [email protected]

Talman HR offers a range of Talent Management and Diversity & Inclusion solutions to help organisations maximise the potential of their workforce, resulting in greater employee engagement, productivity and profitability. Approaches to effective talent and people management are becoming increasingly evidence-based. Talman HR focuses on strategic, business-driven outcomes to deliver tangible results; there is no need to follow a, “process for process’ sake.”  They believe that great people are what makes organisations ‘tick’’ which is often more cost effective too!

 

The consultancy was set up in September 2018 by Chris Wright, a recent MSc Human Resource Management graduate from Kent Business School, who is also a fully qualified HR professional. As a full-time wheelchair user with Cerebral Palsy, he understands the need for a proactive approach to help people navigate and overcome any difficulties relating to employment and the pursuit of a successful and fulfilling career. Diversity in all its forms needs to be fully integrated into the culture of an organisation, not just acting as a bolt-on for compliance purposes.

 

For more information on the services that Talman HR can offer, please visit their website here.

Social Enterprise Kent 

Social Enterprise Kent is a Community Interest Company (CIC), registered with, and regulated by, the CIC Regulator. This means that all of our operational activities are guided by a commitment to maximising our positive social impact in our target market – local people, communities and businesses.

We have been in operation for over 35 years, with the overarching vision of “Improving Lives, Supporting Communities”. There are four pillars of Social Enterprise Kent: Education and Training, Social Enterprise Support, Community Support, and Employment Support.

Helping people into work has been our social remit since we began in the 80s. Through the Building Better Opportunities (National Lottery Community Fund) and Community Led Local Development (CLLD) funded programmes, SEK has worked with hundreds of people who need support in getting in to employment across Kent and Medway.

We understand the various challenges that people face to reach their employability goals, so we aim to support people on our programmes to access services and move that one step closer to reaching their potential.

Find out more by clicking here