Extra funding for jobs scheme

Youngsters in Renfrewshire can now get a helping ha n d i nto Mo d e r n Apprenticeships.

Charity ENABLE Scotland and Open Doors Consortium have received an extension to funding to help young people with learning disabilities and complex support needs get on the jobs ladder.

Extended funding will support the Enhanced Support Modern Apprenticeship programme to help a further 60 Scots young people with disabilities such as Dyslexia, Asperger’s, Autism and communication impairments, into MAs in the coming year.

This is in addition to the twenty 16 to 29- year- olds with complex support needs into MAs across Scotland who have already been helped.

Jamie Rutherford, head of employability at ENABLE Scotland, said: “People with learning disabilities can and do work, contributing a great deal to society.

“We are delighted to be working with Open Doors Consortium to help even more young people with learning disabilities into Modern Apprenticeships, giving them the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the workplace.

“The feedback we have received from employers and apprentices has been resoundingly positive and is outlined in the report.

“We look forward to working with our partners and funders in delivering another programme in the year ahead, in turn helping even more young people to achieve their goals and live the lives they choose.”

The idea behind Modern Apprenticeships is to incorporate work- based learning which provide i n d u s t r y re c o g n i s e d qualifications.

In Scotland, 25,000 Modern Apprenticeships are started each year, but of those less than nine per cent of apprentices declares a disability.

Of those that do disclose a disability, almost half say they have at least one learning disability.

As part of the MA programme, young people with disabilities and other support needs were assisted to secure apprenticeships, develop skills through on the job learning and build confidence.

Through a dedicated support network from employers and social care staff, consideration was given to specific disabilities and reasonable adjustments were made where needed to fully support participants for the duration of each MA.

Last year, the Open Doors Consortium worked with 11 training providers and 16 employers to deliver Modern Apprenticeships in customer services, hospitality and horse care.