What is the Employment Unit?

[Image: EU - Employment Unit]

It is widely acknowledged and accepted that the chances of a person with some kind of disability or health problem being unemployed are significantly higher than a non-disabled person. The 2005 Labour Force Survey indicates that:

There are over 2.4 million people with disabilities who are out of work and on Benefits; over one third of them want to work.
Unemployment rates for disabled people are almost twice as high as those for non-disabled people - 7% compared with 4%.

Furthermore, the Disability Rights Commission Disability Debate Priorities for Action Document highlighted the following:

Of the total number of people out of work in Britain, 40% are disabled
Only 45% of disabled people in Scotland are in work. This falls to 21% of people with a mental health condition and 20% of those with a visual impairment
68% of households with children, where both parents are out of work, include at least one disabled parent and 32% of lone parents out of work are disabled

To combat the problem of disability and unemployment, the former Tayside Regional Council created a Unit to address the employment needs of people in the community with disabilities or health problems.

At local government re-organisation in April 1996, the three local authorities in the Tayside area (Dundee City Council, Angus Council and Perth & Kinross Council) agreed to collaborate in the continuation of the Employment Unit.

The purpose of the Employment Unit is to create employment opportunities for disabled people and to assist people with disabilities to find, and maintain, work.

Additional funding from the European Social Fund enabled the Unit to expand its provision of employment services for disabled people and to pilot and develop new initiatives to allow severely disabled people to access the open labour market, many for the first time.

The Employment Unit believes there is no 'one best way' for assisting a disabled person to find secure employment. A person's skills, abilities, disability, motivation and domestic circumstances are so individual and complex that a range of facilities were established to tailor the service to meet the client's needs. Of prime importance to the Employment Unit is its ability to provide a one-to-one service to a client and to enable individuals with disabilities to access a wide variety of services in order that they may receive the most appropriate means of support.

The Unit operates the following key activities to deliver a service to tackle the unmet employment needs of people with disabilities:

Job Clubs specifically for disabled people and people with health problems
Work Experience Placements to enable clients to develop their skills
WORKSTEP providing employers with support for disabled Employees
Support Team providing on-going assistance and support to people with brain injuries, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, learning difficulties or mental health problems
Consultancy and Advisory Service to local employers, voluntary organisations and disabled people regarding good employment practice

The Employment Unit's target group consists of unemployed people with disabilities who reside in the Tayside area. All forms of disability are accepted including physical disabilities, mental illness, sensory impairments, people with brain injuries and learning difficulties.

The Unit also provides advice and guidance to disabled people who are currently in employment and has produced two information booklets.

To contact the Employment Unit please email employment.unit@dundeecity.gov.uk

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