Employment

A number of organisations in Sheffield offer help with getting people with ASC conditions into employment, and with supporting them in employment.

Here are details of some of these:

The Autism Centre for Supported Employment

Website http://ac4se.org/
“We are a small local charity, located in Sheffield City Centre. We have been offering support and advice to adults with autism, as well as to local employers for 13 years. Our aims are:

– To find paid work and work experience placements for working aged adults who are on the Autistic Spectrum.
– Give specialist support to our clients as well as advise and support their employer so that each individual gets the best out of the experience.
– Break down barriers so people who have Autism will be recognised for who they are as individuals.”

Phone us on: 0114 2288220 / 2636659 or 07792 370485
Autism Centre for Supported Employment, 22 Paradise Square, Sheffield, S1 2DE
Email: autism.centre@yahoo.co.uk

The Autism Centre for Supported Employment have kindly let us publish a copy of their very helpful guide for autistic adults and school leavers “Pathways to Employment” which you can download as a PDF file here: Pathways-to-Employment

Spectrum E

Spectrum E stands for Engage, Empower and Employment. Spectrum E offers free personalised and person-centred, in-work support to individuals with autism or on the autism spectrum, Asperger syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, ADD or learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, mental health issues or long term…
Shuchi Harris : Director
07832 037122
spectrum3e@gmail.com

First Routes

Specialist Employment Support for adults with Autism
First Routes is a specialist employment service delivered by Autism Plus which aims to help increase confidence and employability skills of individuals with Autism or Asperger Syndrome. Our support is tailored to suit individual needs with the ultimate goal of moving individuals towards independence and…
Suzanne Eusman
0114 384 0284
firstroutes@autismplus.co.uk
Website: http://www.autismplus.org/our-services/first-routes

Sheffield City Council

Opportunity Sheffield

See Sheffield City Council’s webpage Opportunity Sheffield for a number of programmes, some of which are aimed at helping disabled people into work as well as encouraging employers to recognise the talents disabled people can bring to their companies or organisations.

Autism Partnership Working Group on Employment

The Sheffield Autism Partnership Working Group on Employment considered issues about employment and how to improve employment opportunities in Sheffield for people with autistic spectrum conditions. Sylvia Johnson, the leader of this group provided a summary of some of the work of this group. See the Working Group on Employment page from which you can also download minutes of the group’s meetings.

The group produced an annotated and downloadable list of online resources on employment and autistic adults: Employment-and-Autistic-Adults-_-Online-Resources

and an “Our Fair City Employer Charter, which can also be downloaded here: “Employer Guide for Autistic Adults”

The Autism Centre for Supported Employment have kindly let us publish, on behalf of the Sheffield Autism Partnership, a copy of their very helpful guide for autistic adults and school leavers “Pathways to Employment” which you can download as a PDF file here: Pathways-to-Employment

National Autistic Society Advice about Employment

The NAS are currently running an important campaign about autism and employment as part of the Too Much Information campaign.  You can see it here on their website.

There is a video clip to watch about the difficulty of interview situations for autistic people, a campaign to get involved in, a report to download on the employment gap for autistic people and “A job searching and employment preparation workbook for autistic people”, also to download. Go to this webpage for further information.

There is and advice page for autistic employees and job-seekers as well as to prospective employers and top tips for a more autism friendly workplace.

Advice to autistic employees and  to job-seekers from the National Autistic Society can also be found on these pages.

Advice to employers and prospective employers of autistic people from the National Autistic Society can also be found on these pages.

Transition to Employment Toolkit

The charities Ambitious about Autism and The Autism Education Trust have created the Transition to employment toolkit to tackle the problem of autistic young people falling out of education, employment or training when they leave school.
The Transition to employment toolkit has been developed to support those working with autistic young people to understand their needs and help them onto the job ladder, or into further training or education. It includes resources for employers, careers professionals and young autistic people themselves.

For more information see the Ambitious About Autism website.

Setting up your own business? Helpful business resources for those with disabilities:

See these pages from AABRS.com  https://www.aabrs.com/business-resources-for-people-with-disabilities/

National Organisations specifically employing autistic people (IT specialists)

Autism Works

At Autism Works, we try, where possible, to tailor our organisation to offer employees with an autism spectrum condition the opportunity to use their unique skills. Rather than our employees having to ‘fit in’ within a conventional working environment, at Autism Works, we look at where we can shape our working environment around your skills and needs, enabling your condition to become an asset rather than an impairment

Auticon

About Auticon
All consultants are on the autism spectrum
More than 80 autistic colleagues across Europe (UK, DE, FR)
Projects in software testing, development, data, compliance & security

Government Green Paper on Helping Disabled People into Work published 31st October 2016

The Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health on 31st October 2016  announced “new plans to help more people with long term conditions reap the benefits of work and improve their health.”

See the press release here and download the full report in PDF format or Open Document format. See here for the National Autistic Society reaction to the publication of the green paper. And further – much more critical – reaction here from DisabledGo and from Disability News Service.

Sheffield is to be one of two trial areas: “Large scale trials are to be created using the Innovation Fund. The first trial areas are expected to be the West Midlands Combined Authority and Sheffield City Region. Seed funding is being provided to support the design stage. Trials could begin in spring 2017.”