Bradford is one of 24 local authorities to secure £350,000 of new funding from the Department for Work and Pensions as part of an initiative to provide extra support to job seekers with learning disabilities and autism.
The Local Supported Employment initiative follows on from a successful pilot across nine local authority areas.
As part of the bidding process it was identified that the current supported employment offer in Bradford needed to be significantly extended in order to meet the needs of the local population, in particular those adults with a diagnosis of autism not accessing work.
Employment rates for people with autism (26.5 per cent) or with a severe learning disability (25.6 per cent) was significantly lower that the employment rate for disabled people as a whole (52.5 per cent) in 2021.
Upto 100 adults with learning disabilities, autism or both will be supported by the LSE initiative to move into competitive employment and provide the help they need to maintain that employment.
The scheme will run in Bradford from November 2022 until March 2025 and the Council will work with supported employment provider United Response to provide employment opportunities through the initiative.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here