Mark Dale wants to help employers unlock Britain’s hidden labour force.
With the cost of living and a looming energy crisis occupying many people’s minds, there has been another ongoing crisis that gets a lot less attention. What is also focusing the minds of many businesses and organisations is the recruitment crisis. In Britain, latest data show 53.5% of people with disabilities aged 16-64 are classed as economically active. 81.6% of all people are economically active and this is known as the disability employment gap. This means there is a hidden labour pool of at least 1 million people that some employers are ignoring.
How can we lift the veil of ignorance and help prospective employers swim in that hidden pool?
Isn’t it the Government’s job to support disabled people to find work? Historically the government has run various schemes to support disabled people, such as Remploy supported workshops, Access to Work (to pay for reasonable adjustments and on-going support costs in the workplace) and currently the Work and Health programme which offers coaching and support to unemployed people. Access to Work supports just under 40,000 people each year with about £82 million (circa 55% of the budget) spent on support for hearing and sight impairments. Work and Health enrols about 70,000 benefits claimants per year and around a third do not complete the programme. After 24 months the success rate into employment is just 22%—or just over 2,000 people a month added to the workforce.
So what can we do? Schools, colleges and other organisations that support disabled people should first of all examine their own record as an employer. How many disabled people do you employ? What support, if any, do you put in place? What are the main challenges and the main benefits of employing disabled people for your organisation. We need to be talking to employers as a sympathetic fellow employer and finding out what they need and the challenges they are facing. I believe the conversations need to be much broader than simply trying to fulfil work experience placement quotas.
Our programme Portland Pathways is an example of what can be done to bridge the disability employment gap. For example, the Recovery College, in partnership with the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, provides courses which give people with mental health difficulties strategies and techniques to support them in the workplace and daily life, meaning mental health should no longer be a barrier for people wanting to find a job. Our specialist Preparing for Work team provides employability training, interview preparation and support with job searching. And there is support for Employers. For example, Portland helps employers find the right person to fill their vacancies.
Louise Smith has benefited from our programme: “Finding employment has had a big effect on my mental health, it has given me a reason to get up in the morning. I now have a purpose and I know I’m not relying on benefits to live on, which is a huge boost to both my mental and physical health. Financially I’m better off so I don’t have the worries, and it makes me feel like a worthwhile member of society.”
Author: Dr Mark Dale
Dr Mark Dale
Dr Mark Dale, Principal and CEO, Portland Charity.
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