A young man from near Edinburgh is in paid work for the first time in his life after help from a group of employment specialists.
David*, 22, has Asperger’s Syndrome and although he had some voluntary experience, he had no history of paid work.
Until recently he had been claiming Employment and Support Allowance, but he wanted to find work and was referred by Jobcentre Plus to the Fair Start Scotland service, delivered in East Lothian in part by Triage on behalf of StartScotland.
There he was partnered with personal consultant Lisa who worked with David to tackle his barriers to work, build up his social skills and find suitable employment opportunities.
Lisa supported him in creating a new CV and job searching as well as helping him in his job interviews, travelling with him to two job interviews and to a ‘meet and greet’ with another employer. Reasonable adjustments were made for him, such as reducing interview panels from three people to two people.
After impressing at interview, David was delighted to land a job at a bank. Lisa worked with the employer to explain his support needs, and even accompanied him on his first day at work to ensure everything went as smooth as possible and he was comfortable in his new role.
David is enjoying his new job and is comfortable in his new routine which includes catching trains early in the morning. He is expanding his social circle and is now receiving on-the-job training. He will also receive in-work support from the Triage team.
* Not his real name
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