Accessing support for employment

My 21 year old son has been in and out of employment since finishing college 3 years ago. He completed an NVQ level 2 in sports coaching but has never managed to secure a job in this field. He has had a range of jobs some of which haven’t worked out because they required him to carry out tasks that he struggled with because of his dispraxia. A job in a warehouse was more suited to his skill set but he  lost this job due to his immature behaviour (trying to make his colleagues laugh!). I really feel he would benefit from having a ‘mentor’ who could accompany him to work until such times as he has learned the role and understands what’s required in terms of workplace behaviour. Has anyone managed to obtain this type of support and if so how did they go about it? Grateful for any advice or suggestions. 

Parents
  • Hi there,

    I'm not sure about that kind of thing, but I found The Shaw Trust to be very helpful after my breakdown and when I was back in to looking for a job.  My local branch had a 'Job Club' one morning a week, where I could go and do job searches and get help from my Key Worker there.  She also came with me to interviews.  They did training sessions there, too, for people looking for work: stuff like confidence-building, skills training, etc.  Their focus is mental health, but it's the same sort of area.

    The Shaw Trust

    I'd say that anyone who tries to make their colleagues laugh would be a definite asset in many workplaces!  I was immature at his age, too.  I still am at 58.

  • I found The Shaw Trust to be very helpful

    My experience of the Shaw Trust was the opposite. Despite knowing I have Asperger's, I was treated as though I had learning disabilities and they kept changing agreements (including the reasonable adjustments my occupational therapist had agreed on my behalf), meeting times, etc. When I visited their offices, I was even asked if I wanted to go to the toilet.

    Shaw Trust was meant to help me obtain work trials rather than interviews but did not manage to arrange a single trial. All they did was get me to fill in forms to show  what I was doing to get a job. It got so bad that my disability employment advisor at JobCentrePlus intervened on my behalf.

  • Sorry to read that.  My experience with them was pre-diagnosis.  Even so, I found them very accommodating and helpful.  I can't fault my Key Worker.  She was great and very supportive.

Reply Children
No Data