Council grant to help people with learning difficulties find work
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has agreed a grant of £30,000 for The Oaks Specialist College in Tonbridge, to help students with learning disabilities find work in the borough.
Currently only five per cent of people with a learning disability in the UK end up in full-time employment. By contrast, the figure is more than 28 per cent for people who have progressed through The Oaks Specialist College. The grant will help fund a job coach at the college, to find work placements for people that live in the borough or at businesses located in the borough.
The Oaks Specialist College delivers practical learning to people with learning disabilities aged 18 to 25. The college introduces new skills to develop confidence and gain independence in a live working job role through internal work placements in the college. There is a training café and a full mock-up of a Tesco Express supermarket on-site that provide experience in retail and hospitality, as well as other facilities to develop skills in gardening and horticulture, carpentry and art.
The college also runs work placements and supported internships within local businesses and is keen to expand this further. The council grant will help them achieve this and will be delivered by the start of the next academic year in September.
Jeremy Whittaker, Strategic Economic Regeneration Manager at the council, said ‘With employment rates for people with learning disabilities being so low, the work of The Oaks College is extremely important. By having a supportive introduction to the workplace students can transition to full-time employment and independent living – something we are proud to be supporting.’
Gordon Tillman, CEO at The Oaks Specialist College, added ‘The Oaks Specialist College is a not-for-profit organisation that has grown ten-fold to meet high demand since we opened in 2018. We continually strive to get the best opportunities for all our learnersand college leavers and this funding from Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is a tremendous boost that will make a real difference.’
For more information about The Oaks Specialist College visit www.theoaks.ac.uk