Charity Enable Works aims to help Highlanders with special needs into employment despite challenges of Covid-19

A leading Scottish charity is helping people in the Highlands with disabilities and health conditions to buck the unemployment trend and secure work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the jobs market more challenging than ever in the wake of the virus, Enable Works has launched its new All in Highlands service to deliver support to people in local communities who have additional needs and might need a helping hand with finding work.

Over the next three years, it aims to support over 450 people to achieve their career aspirations.

The new service is delivered with the support of lead partner, Highland Council, through the European Social Fund.

Scottish Government statistics say only seven per cent of people who have a learning disability are in paid employment, yet more than 60 per cent want to work if the right support is in place to enable them to enter the workforce.

Enable Works now fears that the pandemic’s economic impact could disproportionately exclude even more potential workers.

Lorraine Westley, Enable Works Highlands delivery manager for all, explained: “With the support of Highland Council and the European Social Fund, our mission over the next three years is to support over 450 people with a wide variety of disabilities to increase their skills and achieve their career aspirations.

“Our project includes transition support in schools, support to find work, provision of accredited training and – uniquely – work in the areas of job retention and progression.”

Councillor Trish Robertson, who chairs Highland Councils economy and infrastructure committee, said: “Highland Council is working in partnership with third sector providers to access and manage European Social Funds, and I am delighted that Enable Scotland has been able to develop a team of staff to support Highland residents with disabilities or long term health conditions in their journey towards and into employment.”

All in Highlands is a service for people aged 16 and over who have additional support needs, live in the Highlands region and are looking for work.

It has coordinators based in the communities they support across six regions; Inverness area (also covering Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey), Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-shire, Lochaber and Skye.

For more information on the service, please contact enable.works@enable.org.uk.

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