Adult education provider, ACL Essex, is marking National Autism Week (28th March – 3rd April) by highlighting the opportunities available to people with autism on their supported employment programmes and inclusive apprenticeships.
Recent research has revealed that only one in five people with autism are in employment¹. Consequently, the adult education provider is keen to make a difference by championing its training programmes to encourage employers to hire people with learning disabilities.
Cllr Tony Ball, ECC Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability explains: “Everyone should have the opportunity to fulfil their career ambitions. People with autism have so much to offer but are sadly so often overlooked by employers.”
He added: “ACL are very skilled at running support programmes and inclusive apprenticeships which give people with autistic spectrum disorders the best support to get on the career ladder. They’re also there to help employers; they can offer assistance with onboarding and keen to demonstrate to businesses how employing someone from a diverse background can really help their organisation move forward.”
ACL Essex offers a year-long Supported Employment Programme, which requires three-days a week training, plus additional external work experience. The programme is designed for people who are work ready and enrolment is by referral only. Learners will gain a vocational studies qualification, bite-sized maths and English units, plus a digital qualification. All learners are supported through the programme and are provided with assistance to gain work experience.
Following completion of the programme, ACL Essex can support learners into supported employment or onto an inclusive apprenticeship. Inclusive apprenticeships offer a real job with training that allows learners to earn while they learn, whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification. Inclusive apprentices are vocationally matched but must have a special education need or learning disability, and achieve a minimum of entry level 3 in English and maths for Level 2 apprenticeships. Apprentices also receive additional support for English and maths plus a structured study programme to equip them with the skills they need for the workplace.
ACL Essex offers a wide range of qualifications and skills at their centres across the county and online. They also offer apprenticeships and professional learning, as well as core subjects, such as English, Maths, Science and Digital Skills. There’s also supported learning for people with learning difficulties, creative and cultural learning, mental health and wellbeing, plus community and family learning.
ACL Essex, part of Essex County Council, is the largest provider of adult education in the county. Its aim is to provide learners with as many ways to flourish as possible, to be there in communities across Essex, to make a difference to residents and businesses, so they can make a difference for themselves and to the places that they live in.
To discover more, visit https://aclessex.com/acl-inclusive-apprenticeships/.
