From Service to Strategy: A New Approach to Job Coaching in Wales

A new report proposes a National Job Coaching Strategy is needed in Wales to assist people with learning disabilities and/or autism to gain employment. It builds on the success of the Engage to Change project, a seven-year initiative that provided job coaching, supported internships, and paid placements. The project achieved a 41% employment rate for young people supported. This is compared to an estimated employment rate of 4.8% for people with learning disabilities in England (BASE 2023).

Building Opportunity
In 2020, a briefing emphasised the effectiveness of job coaching in helping people with learning disabilities and/ or autism access the job market. Despite lower unemployment rates in Wales, many working-age disabled people remain economically inactive due to lack of appropriate support. The report calls for integrating job coaching into all employment programs to ensure that people with a learning disability and/or autism are not left behind.

From Service to Strategy, talks about funding, makes a number of key recommendations and highlights good practice.

Implementing a National Job Coaching Strategy could significantly improve employment opportunities for individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism in Wales, which will create better inclusion, independence, and well-being.