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How Silver Tree Primary School embraced hiring DurhamEnable – video transcript.pdf

When Silver Tree Primary School Head Teacher, Helen Grainger, first connected with DurhamEnable, she was looking for a lunchtime supervisor. DurhamEnable put forward Karen who has a learning difficulty and needed some simple adjustments for her job interview – the interview questions in advance and written materials on yellow paper.

“DurhamEnable made the process virtually hiccup-free,” says Helen. “They obviously prepared her really well. So, when she came into the interview, she was performing at her best. She’d read the questions previously, so she delivered a response that she was confident with, which led us to believe that she was a good fit for our school.”

Later, Helen reached out to DurhamEnable when a position as a cleaner became available. The led to meeting Marie, a member of the deaf community who communicates largely through British Sign Language (BSL). With support from DurhamEnable and a BSL interpreter for the interview, Silver Tree Primary welcomed Marie to the team.

“Ultimately, Marie is an absolutely fantastic cleaner. In the two hours, she can get our school spick and span,” says Helen.

Helen adds, “We’ve been lucky enough to get two employees who have brought a range of skills, their own talents, and diversity into our workplace. And we are all the better for having that.”

DurhamEnable supports both the employer and the employee, no one’s left to figure it our alone. It’s a real partnership that helps people build jobs for life.

To learn more about inclusive employment and how we can help your business, head to our Get in Touch page.

When DurhamEnable Job Coach, Laura Crane, first met Marie, she was determined to help her find meaningful work. Marie, who is a member of the deaf community and communicates using British Sign Language (BSL), had struggled to access opportunities that reflected her skills and motivation.

It was clear from day one that Marie was dedicated, she just needed the right opportunity and an employer willing to adapt.

How DurhamEnable helped Marie find work – video transcript.pdf

Working together with Head Teacher Helen Grainger and a BSL interpreter, DurhamEnable supported Marie through the recruitment process for a cleaning role at Silver Tree. Impressed by her effort and attitude, the school quickly offered Marie a permanent contract.

Today, Marie is thriving – fully settled in her role, valued by her team, and proud of her work.

“Disability doesn’t define who someone is,” adds Laura.

At DurhamEnable, we’ve found that employers who embrace inclusivity often find some of the most committed and hardworking people out there. That’s what supported employment is all about, breaking barriers so everyone can shine.

To learn more about inclusive employment and how your organisation can get involved, head to our Get in Touch page.

For Karen, finding work once felt out of reach. Living with anxiety and depression made the idea of getting a job feel impossible; until she connected with DurhamEnable.

With support from Job Coach Laura Crane, Karen joined DurhamEnable and began to work through the Supported Employment Model, where she received one-to-one coaching to help her explore her strengths, prepare for interviews, and find the right workplace fit.

How Karen Found Her Confidence Transcript.pdf

“It’s about getting to know that person through vocational profiling and matching them to a job that suits who they are,” Laura explains.

When Silver Tree Primary School advertised for a lunchtime supervisor, DurhamEnable reached out to Head Teacher Helen Grainger to discuss reasonable adjustments that could make the job interview more accessible, including sharing the questions beforehand.

Helen welcomed the idea.

“That led to us meeting Karen,” she says. “And we were really happy to support her through the process.”

Karen began with a short work experience placement. Within weeks, she was offered a casual contract, and soon after that, a permanent position.

“I’m very proud of myself for getting where I am,” says Karen. “I thought I’d never get a job, but I did. I’m over the moon.”

Now thriving in her role, Karen’s confidence soared. 

“You can clearly see a massive difference in her,” says Laura. “She’s so happy, so dedicated, and the staff have really connected with her.”

Laura says it best:

“A disability doesn’t define a person. When you embrace inclusivity, you find committed, hardworking employees. And DurhamEnable is here to help ever step of the way.”

To learn more about Supported Employment and inclusive hiring, visit our Get in Touch page to start a conversation.

At DurhamEnable, inclusion isn’t an afterthought, it’s built into every step of how we recruit, train, and support people into work.

Carole Williamson, In-work Support and Training Officer, has been helping organisations rethink how they attract and support neurodiverse talent.

 

Creating Inclusive Workplaces – How DurhamEnable is Changing Recruitment Culture Transcript.pdf

“I have been training the lead officers how to recruit in a different way, how to create systems that are much more inclusive, how to get the best out of the candidates that are coming to interview,” Carole explains.

Among those she’s trained is Phil Gwillym, Learning and Development Manager at Durham County Council.

“I thought in liaising with Carole, it would be beneficial to have a broader awareness of neurodiversity… to help make training suitable, bespoke to all of our nuances, for want of a better word, or requirements.”

This approach has made a direct impact, particularly for colleagues like Kayleigh, an autistic apprentice who first joined the council through DurhamEnable’s Supported Internship programme.

“It’s enabled Kayleigh to have the best start in her professional life,” says Carole “because the people around her understand some of the differences that she presents to the way they would be expecting someone but it also enables people to see the strengths that autistic people bring.”

By replacing assumptions with understanding, DurhamEnable helps employers unlock the full potential of every individual.

To learn more about Supported Internships, visit Durham County Council: supported employment for young people.

For inclusive employment support, visit our Get in Touch page.

For many young people with additional needs, the step from education into employment can feel like a leap into the unknown. That’s where DurhamEnable’s Supported Internship programme makes all the difference.

 

Supported Internships: Helping Young People Move Confidently into Employment Transcript.pdf

James Merrington, In-Work Support and Training Officer, has seen first-hand how the programme transforms confidence and opportunity.

“it’s not work experience, it’s a pathway into employment,” says James. “A lot of people we support in the supported internship, they’re coming from sort of SEND provisions, so they’ve very supportive environments and then they come to the end of that education and they’re expected to just go out and find it on their own, by themselves.” DurhamEnable’s Supported Internship programme aims to bridge that gap.

One young person who found success through the programme is Kayleigh Askew, now thriving as a Learning and Development Practitioner at Durham County Council.

“I was encouraged to look for job opportunities whenever possible,” Kayleigh explains. “I applied for four different apprenticeships and got interviews for all of them.”

With DurhamEnable’s guidance, Kayleigh was able to identify reasonable adjustments that help help her perform at her best and communicate them confidently to interviewers. James adds:

“The supported internship is fantastic for someone like Kayleigh or someone who’s neurodiverse or just needs that little helping hand moving into paid employment. Ultimately though, it’s down to the individual as well, you know, Kayleigh from the very start was proactive, she showed great initiative, she really wanted to engage in the programme”

Kayleigh’s advice for others who are in a similar situation to she was is simple: 

“I would recommend DurhamEnable to other people because, whatever your disabilities are, if you want a job then they’ll help you like achieve that.”

To learn more about Supported Internships, visit Durham County Council: supported employment for young people.

For inclusive employment support, visit our Get in Touch page.