Nine in ten learning disabled people want to work, but only 4.8% currently have a paid job. Our supported employment programmes aim to bridge that gap. We currently support 92 interns and 172 people in our supported employment and follow-on teams.
The learning disabled and/or autistic people we support want a paid job and they’re drawing on our support to help them enter the workplace. When you join us, you’ll gain an eager and motivated new group of employees who are likely to stay with you for a long time. You’ll also unlock the expertise of our specialist Employability Coaches, who’ll support you and your new employees every step of the way.
Ready to join us?
Reach out to our teamWhy you should partner with us
It’s free!
Our support is funded by Access to Work. This money comes from the government to provide adaptations and reasonable adjustments. Funding for Employability Coach support will come at no cost to your organisation.
If adaptive equipment is required, Access to Work may also provide funding for some or all these reasonable adjustments.
You’ll boost morale, retention and productivity
71% of employers who’ve hired a disabled employee agree that it’s had a positive impact on staff morale. Staff at inclusive employers also stay 3.71 years longer on average. What’s more, diverse workforces increase innovation.
We provide amazing outcomes
Our supported employment programmes are effective pathways into paid employment for learning disabled and autistic people, especially compared with standard employment outcomes.
To date, we’ve supported a total of 482 interns to graduate from our supported internship programmes. 287 have successfully found paid employment (60%) with 82% of these being for a minimum of 16 hours per week. This is significantly higher than the average employment rates for learning disabled and autistic people in the UK.
What employers have to say
“It’s really beneficial having Hft Employability Coaches on hand and available to provide any support. I have found the Employability Coaches to be very friendly and always willing to help with any issues. I would definitely recommend Hft to other businesses.” – Café Manager
“Through real‑life experience and full immersion in the workplace, we help interns build skills, grow in confidence, and shape their future pathways. We deeply value the strength of our partnership and the relationships that make it possible — built on trust, open communication, and a shared commitment to keeping each intern at the centre of everything we do.” – Tracey Amos, Senior Workforce Modernisation Officer/Business Liaison at the NHS.
How we’ll support you
When you partner with Hft, you and your new employee will gain support from our Employability Coaches. They’ll provide tailored 1:1 support to new employees at the start. As the employee learns and adapts, they’ll gradually step back.
Before your new employee starts, we can support you with any reasonable adjustments needed in the application and interview process. We’ll also support successful applicants to complete pre-employment paperwork.
Our Employability Coaches will support your new employee to complete induction training and learn the routines and tasks of their new job. We’ll work with you and your new employee to identify and add any reasonable adjustments needed in the workplace. We’ll also make sure you’re able to support your employee to work to a high standard.
As and when required, we can support your employee with communication in the workplace, managing changes to their role/processes, ongoing training, and supervisions/appraisals. We can also provide training for your organisation around learning disability awareness and neurodiversity.
Interested? Get in touch!
We’ve already welcomed tens of employers into our supported employment scheme, and we’d love for you to join us.
Email us if you’re interested and we’ll answer any questions you might have: work.option@hft.org.uk
We look forward to working with you.
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