Wiltshire employers encouraged to become SEND champions

Employers across Wiltshire are being encouraged to consider young people with special educational needs as an addition to their workplace.

The Council's set up a scheme to help businesses become SEND champions, and promote inclusivity.

Companies can earn bronze, silver or gold levels of accreditation for supporting people into work.

To achieve the bronze level employers would:

• Host workplace visits for young people with SEND young people in their capacity as interns

• Provide job descriptions for the entry level jobs within the business so interns can realistically evaluate their skills against real jobs

• Facilitate mock interviews or valuable advice on their interview expectations for our interns

For silver level a company would be a host employer for one intern for at least one year, for gold it is two years or offering a job on a minimum six-month contract.

Cllr Jane Davies, Cabinet Member for SEND said:

“We know how important it is to be independent, to have work opportunities and to have choices. I want to thank the employers who have already been part of providing these employment opportunities in the past as we know the benefits this has.

“We are launching the Wiltshire SEND Employer Champion Scheme to introduce more local companies to having people with SEND working alongside your colleagues and contributing to your workplace. We know it’s a step into the unknown for many which is why we’re introducing the different levels and we hope people will contact us and find out more. You won’t be on your own as we will provide training and ongoing support.”

One manager who welcomed a young person called Jack explained how he became part of the work culture very quickly. She said:

“Jack is absolutely fantastic. The people that work around him absolutely love working with him so he’s just part of the team now.”

Jack explained what it has meant for him: “Before doing this, I wasn’t speaking to people. But now I’m a little bit more confident.”

Employers can sign up by emailing west.cc@wiltshire.gov.uk or calling 01225 718004.

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