CHARITY Ilkley Community Enterprise Ltd launched a campaign at an Ilkley Business Forum meeting to get more employers involved in the Outside the Box Works scheme.

The ‘Twenty in 2020’ campaign aims to help 20 people with a learning disability into jobs during 2020 and the charity wants more local employers to work with them to help achieve this.

Alex Toothill, the Skills and Employment Manager at Outside the Box gave a presentation to businesses attending the Forum meeting hosted by Outside the Box community café. “The employment rate for people with a learning disability continues to be very low,” he told Forum members. “This is despite the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of people with a learning disability who can and want to work plus employment levels overall in this country are high. We want to work with local employers to help change this situation.”

The forum heard about some of the people with a learning disability who have already been supported into paid employment.

Emily Moorhouse, a member at Outside the Box who successfully completed the OTB Works employment support programme, works at Booth’s Ilkley store two days each week. Emily said: “I really love working there and feel part of the Booth’s team.” Booths supermarket is one of many local employers who have signed up to the OTB Works Employer Charter expressing their commitment to helping to get more people with a learning disability into work. Others include Marks & Spencer, The Black Hat, Bradford Council, LCF Law, Tyler-James Pet Shop, Broadley’s, Ilkley Grammar School, Ilkley Literature Festival and The Box Tree restaurant.

Carey Dowson, Operations Manager at Bingley Medical Practice told the forum about their experience of employing Amy Miller. She said: “Amy has proved to be a real asset to our organisation. She is doing an expanding range of administrative work and we are now looking to do further training with her so that she can develop new IT skills and progress her employment with us. We have had lots of advice and support from Outside the Box and would very much recommend this initiative to other employers.”

“We have developed a successful model of supporting people with a learning disability to achieve their goals of getting a job,” said Jenna Peel, Operations Director at the charity. “We have members who are highly skilled and motivated now waiting to find relevant work opportunities. We now want more employers to come and join us so that we can make Ilkley a town known for inclusive employment.”

For more information get in touch with Alex Toothill on 01943 609692 or alex.otbworks@gmail.com