The Connect to Work programme in County Durham is a voluntary supported employment initiative designed to help people with learning disabilities, autism, health conditions, and complex barriers to employment find and sustain meaningful work.
What is Connect to Work?
A free, voluntary programme offering Supported Employment delivered locally in County Durham by DurhamEnable, Durham County Council, and Triage.
Connect to Work aims to support 100,000 people across England and Wales, with 13,500 supported in the North East alone. DurhamEnable will support 975 people in County Durham until March 2030.
Who is it for?
Connect to Work is for people with:
- learning disabilities
- autism
- physical disabilities
- mental health conditions
- multiple and complex barriers to employment
The programme also offers support to employers to retain staff who may be struggling due to a disability or health condition.
What does Connect to Work offer?
Connect to Work helps people with disabilities and health conditions find and keep a job that’s right for them.
That includes:
- Personal support and job matching: We get to know you, your skills, and what kind of work you want, then we help you find a good match.
- Support to overcome barriers: We work with you to tackle anything that might be making it hard to get into work.
- Ongoing help once you start work: We stay in touch to make sure things are going well and you have the support you need to stay in your job.
How it works:
We use the Supported Employment model; Place, Train, Maintain, which focuses on find the right job first, then offering training and ongoing support.
Under Connect to Work, there are two types of support:
- Local Supported Employment (LSE): Run by DurhamEnable using the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF).
- Individual Placement and Support (IPS): Delivered by Triage, linking employment and health support.
Contact us
Want to know more? Head to our Get in Touch page to start your supported employment journey.
