ROBERT HALFON MP for Harlow, is urging businesses in his constituency to be a part of an inclusive employment initiative that helps adults with learning disabilities and autism achieve their goals of paid employment.

The project is a collaboration between Essex Care Limited and Essex County Council. The Inclusive Employment service sources employment opportunities for adults with a learning disability or autism who might sometimes struggle to find jobs across the county. The initiative also works with businesses to help support them to be inclusive employers.

Robert Halfon, MP, said:

“I’m proud to support the Inclusive Employment initiative. This is a fantastic project which has supported not only 256 people in the Essex region into meaningful employment but 61 candidates have also successfully secured employment right here in Harlow.”

“This initiative is a win-win programme – benefitting the individuals applying for work, and the employers who can become better equipped to become more inclusive and champion a diversified workforce. As successful placements have so far shown, access to this wider talent pool not only helps our local business communities grow, it also helps to reduce staff turnover and support employment opportunities for all across the East of England.”

“As I so often say, skills are the future of our labour market and the work of this initiative to match skilled people who happen to have a learning disability or a neuro divergent condition, to local jobs will help grow our local economy and enable the employees to gain their personal, professional and financial independence.”

“I encourage all businesses in the area to become inclusive employers and see the benefits for themselves.”

ECL’s specialist Inclusive Employment team matches talented individuals to meet the needs of the business, creating a successful working relationship that enables the candidate to develop their skills and achieve their goal of becoming more independent. ECL provides on-the-job coaching and mentoring for as long as is needed to ensure that both the individual and the employer have the best experience. 

Cllr John Spence – Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care at Essex County Council said:

“For all the reasons stated above, this is about achieving a win-win – for the employer, for the employee and for society as a whole.”

The ECL team recently won the Great British Care, East of England Region Care Innovator award for successfully placing 128 adults (at that time) into secure paid work in less than two years. Since April 2020 over 255 people have been supported into paid employment.

One talented individual that has benefited from Inclusive Employment is Joshua, who works at Langdon Hills Golf Club as a ground’s maintenance operative. Joshua has been working at the club since October 2021 and is making a real difference to the team.

Course Director, Tony Dunstan said:

“Joshua settled in as a ground’s maintenance operative exceptionally well, his timekeeping is excellent and his commitment to work is 100%. I must admit, initially we were concerned on how Joshua would integrate into the team and how we could adjust our working practices to accommodate his needs. But after the first few days it was enlightening to see how employing Joshua has brought the team closer together, he is a real asset to the club.”

If you are a local business that is interested in becoming an inclusive employer please contact Sue Wray, ECL Inclusive Employment Business Manager by emailing [email protected]

To find out more about ECL’s Inclusive Employment Service, see www.ecl.org/inclusive-employment