Local businesses boost employment opportunities for students with disabilities

Supported Work initiative with Hopwood Hall College

Local businesses in Rochdale have begun a supported work initiative with Hopwood Hall College, boosting employment opportunities for students with learning and physical disabilities.

Skills for Life students are working in a variety of retail stores across the town.

Springhill Hospice, Morrisons, Petrus Charity Shop and Gordon Riggs Garden Centre have all taken students onto their work force as part of the skills enhancement project.

The aim of the project is to provide opportunities for the students to develop their employability skills in a safe and professional environment.

With a range of learning difficulties and physical disabilities access to work experience alone is very limited for the students. The project will act as a valuable first step on the employment ladder.

Lecturer of Hopwood Hall’s Skills for Life course, Mandy Fletcher, said of the new project: “Opportunities such as this project are very thin on the ground in the local areas.

“The roles these businesses will play in the futures of the students could potentially be vital, they are contributing to the community massively by being a part of this project. The skills they will learn by working in established, safe and professional businesses will be invaluable to their progression in life.”

Businesses have expressed their pride in being a local cornerstone for special skills development.

Gaynor Green, Supervisor at Gordon Riggs, told staff at the college: “It’s a genuine pleasure to have the college students on supported placement. We’re proud to be a business that supports the local communities where we can.

“It’s also fulfilling for us personally to see the development of the students’ confidence and work skills in the 10 weeks that they are with us.”

As well as developing the students’ employability skills, the work placements will also help them grow on a social level. Many of the students taking part will have had fairly repetitive routines in their life previously.

Samantha Parry, one of the students working at Petrus Charity Shop, said of her placement experience so far: “I’ve really enjoyed doing lots of different jobs at Petrus, I have learned a lot whilst I have been here and I already feel more confident in myself."