Northdale Employment Skills Group

Northdale Employment Skills Group

Overview

The Employment Skills Group (ESG) service is focused on assessing a client’s readiness for work / volunteering, preparing a client for work / volunteering and enhancing their core life skills.

The primary objective of the service is to support clients getting work / volunteering in the community. The secondary objective of the service is to enhance clients core life skills.

ESG is an innovative post education service for adults with a learning disability delivered by a partnership between the Adult Learning & Skills Service (ALSS) at North Yorkshire Council, Northdale and the Supported Employment Service (SES) at North Yorkshire Council.

The service typically follows a year long programme. This programme may be extend where appropriate.

The programme is split into two phases.

Phase one starts with understanding clients aspirations for work / volunteering before moving on to a combination of training (delivered by ALSS) and onsite work experience (within Northdale Day Services groups) - both based at our Northdale, Northallerton site.

Phase two moves on to offsite volunteering / work experience / employment in the community (arranged and supported by SES).

Clients can start the service at any point during the year. The service is available two to five days per week.

The ESG service is an ideal next step after leaving education. In some cases it may be a bridge between school / college and supported internships.

How it works

Phase one

Understanding aspirations

• Review held with client to understand work / volunteering aspirations

Adult Learning & Skills Service (ALSS)

• Clients spend one day a week with ALSS
• Clients follow a vocational curriculum
• Clients are supported by qualified trainers
• Regular reviews are held with the client, ALSS & Northdale

Employment Skills Group (ESG)

• Clients spend one (or more) days a week with Northdale Days Services groups e.g. Garden Contracting, The Forge, The Garden Nursery or The Tea Room
• Clients gain valuable work experience
• Skills learnt with ALSS are checked in the work experience environment 
• Clients can also develop core life skills at The Flat @ ABLE
• Clients are supported by ESG group instructors
• Regular reviews are held with the client, Northdale & ALSS

Phase two

Supported Employment Service (SES)

• Clients spend one (or more) days a week volunteering, getting work experience or working in the community
• Clients are supported by SES mentors
• Clients can continue with training (ALSS) and work experience (Northdale) as appropriate 
• Regular reviews are held with the client, Northdale & SES

Participant outcomes 

At the end of the programme clients will have enhanced their vocational and core life skills.

Clients will have built a portfolio of skills and work experience.

Clients will have references from trainers, instructors and mentors.

Clients can continue to be supported working / volunteering by SES mentors.

How to join our ESG 

Our ESG service is available via North Yorkshire Council Health & Adult Services - ask your social care manager /  social worker. The service is on the North Yorkshire Council Community Based Support Approved Providers List.

If you're on direct payments, supported by another local authority or are self funding, the fee starts at £80.40 per day (6-hour session). For further information call 01609 770269 or email [email protected] or use the 'Ask about our services' form below.