Thanks to players of the National Lottery, Little Gate Farm will be creating apprenticeships for 50 young people with learning disabilities and autism across East Sussex.
We have been awarded funding of £425,000 to run the new Supported Apprenticeship programme which will help young people between the ages of 16 and 25 into paid apprenticeships with local employers. Little Gate Farm provide high quality support to both the apprentice & employer.
Jordan, age 20, pictured below with his Job Coach, Carol, has been in a Supported Apprenticeship since October 2017. He works as an Apprentice Care Assistant at Southlands Place in Bexhill where he combines work and study. Jordan says ‘I love coming to work and earning money. The people here are nice too.’
Supported Apprenticeships are a four-way partnership between an employer, apprentice, education provider & Little Gate Farm who provide a specialist supported employment service. All businesses with a wage bill over £3 million have an apprenticeship levy & will be expected to contribute to the training of apprentices. Government aims to increase apprenticeships by 3 million by 2020, small to medium businesses will benefit from this.
Young people with autism &/or learning difficulties can do a supported apprenticeship over 2 years, working 16 hours a week with an employer & studying for 7 hours a week with an education provider. A job coach from Little Gate Farm will be there to support the apprentice whilst in the workplace & co-ordinate the learning process. A person-centred plan to understand the apprentice’s goals & aspirations will be created, job coaches also help employers to create inclusive workplaces that are supportive of those with disabilities, making reasonable adjustments. Employers can enjoy the additional benefits of: a grant of £1000, education fees fully paid through the levy & adding new skills to the business.
Do you know someone who would like to be an apprentice? We have vacancies for young people, aged 16 to 25 with learning disabilities and autism. They must have an Education, Health & Care Plan. As part of our pilot, we currently support apprenticeships in the fields of social care, childcare & hospitality but if you have another field you would like to work in please get in contact so we can discuss the options available.
Are you an employer looking for a hardworking and reliable apprentice? Are you interested in creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the organisation & it’s customers? We’d love to come and talk to you.
For more information call Dee 07498586343
