The Employment Service was established over ten years ago and is based on the model and principles of Supported Employment. The principle behind Supported Employment is essentially that everyone, regardless of their level of disability, should be able to gain employment if they have the right level of support in the workplace. The model underpins all the practices and procedures that have been development by the employment service. It is the overall objective for each person entering the Orchardville Society to enable them to progress into paid employment. For some people with learning disability this may take a relatively short period of time and for others it is a long term goal.

The employment service is staffed by a professional team of Employment Officers, many with years of experience and good practice in the field of supported employment. All trainees entering the Orchardville Society will be assigned an Employment Officer to oversee and monitor progress and act as a liaison between the trainee and their family and other people both within and external to the Orchardville Society.

The Employment Service also caters for people at different stages on the road to employment and offers a comprehensive service to young people from the age of 16 who are still attending school through to people right up to the age of retirement. There is also a programme that offers one to one support to people with higher support needs or complex needs to enable them to experience the world of work.

After Induction and Assessment all new referrals have the opportunity to develop an Individual Learning Plan that provides opportunities to explore a range of services offered by the Orchardville Society.

Participants wishing to gain experience of the world of work or who are seeking paid employment are assigned an employment officer who will work closely with them to identify skills, abilities, special aptitudes and training areas. While many people already have some idea about what kind of work they would like to do others may like to try different areas. The process towards gaining a paid job are as follows and are unique to each individual entering the programme and are not time limited.

• Vocational Profiling
• Job Matching
• Job Sampling
• Work Experience
• Interview Techniques
• Support with applications and interviews
• Paid employment options

In 2005 over 130 people with learning disabilities attended work placements with a wide variety of employers in the Belfast area and fifteen people were offered paid employment. People taking part in the employment programme have experienced many benefits including:

• Developing new skills
• Improving confidence and self esteem
• Developing independence skills eg. money management skills, travel skills etc
• Financial security as a result of paid employment
• New friends and social activities.

For further information about the employment service please contact the Employment Services Manager at the Orchardville Society.