No barrier for placements during Work Experience Week

Work Experience Week also plays an important role in increasing awareness about learning disabilities and the difficulties people encounter when trying to find work. More than 60% of people with a learning disability are able and would like to work, but only 6% are in paid employment.

Leeds Beckett has participated in Work Experience Week since 2014 when one person joined the research administration office on placement. The number of placements increased to two in 2015 and to 11 in 2016, where, in November, there were placements in a number of teams across both City and Headingley campuses. Mencap customers gained experience in administration; cleaning supervision; working in the City Campus shop and Food Courts; landscape maintenance; working for the Bike Hub and in the mail room. The placements were initially for one week, but 10 out of the 11 were extended by two to three weeks.

Following the Mencap placements, staff were asked to complete a short SNAP survey about their experience. The following key themes emerged: 

Development of mentoring and training skills

Work experience week has provided Leeds Beckett staff with an excellent development opportunity.  Staff from a variety of different teams trained and mentored the Mencap clients on placement. This kind of work helps people to develop effective and unambiguous communication skills which can improve communication with all colleagues, but particularly with those who may have learning disabilities, are on the autistic spectrum, or those for whom English is their second language. 

“I have learned that I am a natural mentor and really enjoy guiding/teaching/training people despite what disability or learning difficulty someone may have. It may take a little longer but with good guidance and patience we get there in the end.

Enjoyment

In general, staff described the experience as being very positive and worthwhile. Several people felt that the enthusiasm from the new member of the team gave everyone a boost. 

“…the experience is really rewarding.”

One manager commented:

“X is very enthusiastic and has a thirst to learn more. She loves working with customers. Although quite shy in the first instance she has gelled with the team really well and they all love her.”

Increased job satisfaction

An interesting point that a number of members of staff made was that taking part in this initiative really made them appreciate their job and being a part of Leeds Beckett.

“You take your working environment for granted, and this made me realise how fortunate I am to work at the University.”

Learning

Staff identified a number of factors that helped, or would help work experience placements to run smoothly. Several felt it was important to have a suitable mentor in place to support the placement with the time and resources necessary, and also setting aside tasks for the person on placement in advance should be included in the preparation. Staff who attended the Learning Disability Awareness training delivered by Mencap also found that to be useful.

At the end of the placements, seven of the 11 Mencap customers took part in a mini interview about their experiences. The main themes identified were:

Confidence

Most of the Mencap customers talked about how they had grown in confidence during their time at Leeds Beckett and this was also very apparent to staff involved in supporting them.

“I would love to get a job here. I’m more confident.”

Skills

People learned new skills in all of the placement areas. In many cases, after some training on equipment used in the role, people were happy to continue to work more independently:

“I love the franking machine, I get left alone on it now.”

Inclusion

Being part of a team was an important aspect of the experience and Leeds Beckett staff worked hard to make sure that everyone felt included. When asked what the people had been like during their placements, everyone was very positive:

“Ace!”  “Very nice, very helpful.” “They were very friendly.

Increased possibilities of paid employment

In most cases, people spoke about how their work experience placement would help them to find paid work, partly because of skills they had learnt and their increased confidence, but also because they will receive very positive references from their supervisors.

Opportunity to try something new and increase aspirations

Many people have constantly been told that they wouldn’t be able to do things throughout their life and for some individuals, the placements challenged the limitations that have been put on them from others.

“To be honest, I never thought I’d end up in a Uni office!”

“I was glad it went very well – I was quite proud at the end.”

The work experience placements have allowed the employment coordinators at Mencap to have a better idea of the support different individuals require and to identify next steps based on their training needs, interests and abilities.

The Mencap customers have had the chance to try out areas of work to see if they suited them. They have grown in confidence, learned new skills and enjoyed being part of the Leeds Beckett community.

For more details or to get involved with this project, please contact Susan Coan, Research Assistant/CommUNIty Lead for Placements & Widening Participation, Centre for Health Promotion Research, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Email: S.Coan@leedsbeckett.ac.uk