Full time work or volunteering (20 hours or more) combined with part time accredited study

Employment

Schools and colleges have a duty to ensure all young people have opportunities to meet with employers during their time in education. This is an aspect which is inspected by Ofsted. This could be an employer coming to the school or college to talk to students about their job, help with a project, give students opportunities for a mock interview or mentor a young person. Many schools hold careers fairs where students get the change to talk to lots of employers in one day.

Young people should also be offered the chance to do some workplace experience during their time in education. This can be anything from half a day to a number of weeks, spread over many weeks during a term. Schools and colleges have a responsibility to help students prepare for these kinds of experiences.

Getting work experience and developing employability skills is very important. It can also help employers recognise the skills that young people can bring to their organisation. Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. This applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners. 

Volunteering

Volunteering can also help young people develop skills that will help them in future employment. There are formal programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award that schools and colleges will be involved in. Families can support young people to do some voluntary work outside school or college in an area that they are interested in. You can visit Volunteer Centre Newcastle to find out what opportunities are available. 

Newcastle Supported Employment

Supported Employment has been successfully used for supporting people with significant disabilities to move towards and into paid work. Newcastle City Council’s Supported Employment Service has recently expanded due to the Government funded Connect to Work Programme. For more information, please visit support for getting into work. 

For more information about how Supported Employment works, visit the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE). This programme aims to help people with learning disabilities and/or autism into paid employment. Support will be provided in looking for and sustaining employment. Support can be received from a Supported Employment Officer.

Entry guidelines:

• There is an eligibility check forwarded to DWP
• The person taking part must not be employed, in full time education or on any other funded programme. Unless they are already in paid employment or an apprenticeship and at risk of losing their employment due to disability*
• The minimum age to take part is 16*

The Connect to Work Programme runs until March 2030. To find out more contact Mhairi Fullerton by calling 0191 211 6279 or 07500 997 536 or emailing supportedemployment@newcastle.gov.uk.

*In exceptional circumstances, young people who are aged 16 and 17 in England will be able to access Connect to Work. The types of situations that might warrant an exception could include:

• on Universal Credit below the age of 18
• efforts to engage them in education or training options have not proved fruitful
• on an apprenticeship and at risk of it ending due to their:
  
  • disability
  • health condition
  • or additional barriers. 

If already engaged in training or education, then this should take precedence.