VIDEO: Disabled staff can add drive to a motivated team

The #DisabilityWorks campaign aims to show the benefits of employing disabled talent, for tailored recruitment support:Click this link Or call 0114 2760039.

The 23-year-old applied for a string of jobs without success but although it knocked his confidence he just kept on going.

For Jonathan, who has diabetes and mild learning disabilities, wanted to support his wife and three-year-old son.

He said: “I’m keen to work to give my son a good life and give him options and good family memories.”

Jonathan had experience working in a supermarket and shops and volunteering for the British Heart Foundation. He has qualifications including ICT entry level maths and English at Hillsborough College. He also has GCSEs in science, English and maths.

In summer he was put in touch with the Burton Street Foundation in Hillsborough – a centre which works with people with physical and learning disabilities – and they introduced him to their tailored work programme, Enterprise 100.

The 20-week scheme includes coaching sessions to build confidence and develop new skills and help with self-esteem, CVs and interviews.

It also arranged work experience in the Burton Street Café, where he found his niche volunteering twice a week.

Jonathan said: “I enjoy it when it’s busy. There was a person came in on work experience and I trained him up.

“But I was always working towards permanent paid work. When I started at Burton Street last year I just wouldn’t talk to anyone because I didn’t have the confidence, but coming here really brought me out of my shell.”

The foundation spotted a catering assistant vacancy at the Northern General Hospital and encouraged Jonathan to attend.

He was invited to interview, which he attended with Megan Thorne from Burton Street, and the hospital offered him a job!

Jonathan said: “It’s my first paid job since I was 18, it’s been a five-year journey and I’m over the moon.

“Disabled people simply want the same chances as every other member of society.”

But Burton Street’s involvement didn’t stop once he started in the kitchens. It is providing on-going support to ensure he’s happy and productive.

Danielle Wibberley, senior manager at the Burton Street Foundation, said: “Jonathan had so much experience, we were just trying to find his niche. The NHS has given him a chance. They purely see him for who he is and I absolutely applaud them for that.

“We find the jobs that fit the skills, it has to be the job around the person, not the person around the job, otherwise it’s never going to work.

“It’s been an honour and a privilege to work with Jonathan as his self-confidence grew.

“We were overjoyed when we found out that he had got the job. Particularly when he told us that he can provide for his family and especially his son.

“Hiring disabled people can mean adding highly motivated people to the workforce, leading to improvements like increased productivity and an inclusive culture.”

Some two per cent of the adult population is thought to have a learning disability – 1.2m people

For adults with learning disabilities in work, Sheffield ranks 128th out of 147 local authority areas, with 3.4 per cent, compared to seven per cent nationally.

The #DisabilityWorks campaign aims to show the benefits of employing disabled talent, for tailored recruitment support: Click this link Or call 0114 2760039.

SAM AND ETHAN GAIN SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Leadership and organisational skills – as a scout leader Sam Smith has in them in spades.

The 21-year-old has worked his way up from youth leader to occasional group leader of the Explorer Scouts, aged 16-18, in Grenoside.

He also regularly volunteers at the Burton Street Foundation’s restaurant and cafe and is studying for a Level 2 in catering at college.

He said: “I’m responsible for large amounts of scouts, organising and planning trips, and helping out on them. I’m basic first aid-trained and have dealt with and remained calm in emergency situations.

“In scouts we do different activities such as mountain biking and different trips. I enjoy helping people and learning new skills. I work in the restaurant in evenings and at conferences, functions and parties.

“I enjoy prepping and serving high-quality food to a professional standard. I’ve gone back to college and I keep applying for jobs. I’m focused, determined and proud in my work.”

Ethan Barton, aged 20, of Shiregreen also volunteers at Burton Street and works at the English Institute of Sport on a Wednesday, setting up equipment for schools.