Cheshire East Council has received a share of £7.6 million to help hundreds of adults with learning disabilities and autism into work.
It’s part of a new Government initiative to provide extra support to jobseekers with learning disabilities and autism.
CEC and Cheshire West & Chester are among 24 local authorities in England and Wales to receive funding to spend on specialist support over the next three years.
In Cheshire, it means £721,000 will be available to support 206 jobseekers with learning disabilities and autism.
Each local authority area will support between 60 and 140 adults with learning disabilities, autism or both to move into competitive employment and provide the help they need to maintain that employment.
An average of 90 participants in each local authority are to benefit from the grant funding and support.
It will include assigning job coaches who can engage employers and provide in-work support to help develop more careers.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP said: “Disabled people deserve the same opportunities to start, stay and succeed in employment as everyone else.
“We know that those with autism and learning disabilities can face particular barriers to employment, which is why we’re spending over £720,000 here in Cheshire and Chester through the Local Supported Employment initiative.
“We hope to break down those barriers and use local networks to help more disabled people reach their full potential.”
The DWP along with nine local authorities ran an LSE proof of concept pilot in November 2017 for 18 months.
The longer-term ambition is to provide further evidence to local authorities of the value of supported employment to help drive further investment and secure effective employment for more people with learning disabilities, autism or both.
(pic Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images)
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