Supported employment is a model of assistance that helps people with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups find and retain paid employment. It typically involves various forms of tailored support, including job coaching, training, and workplace adaptations.
The Government of Gibraltar promotes a Supported Employment scheme and a new programme called PATHS (Professional Advancement through Holistic Skills), aimed at empowering and upskilling individuals and pave the way for a more inclusive and resilient workforce.
SNAG has been made aware by service users that there are no criteria or guidance notes published by the Government for the public to access information on Supported Employment, leaving both those needing access to it and potential employers with no access to key information.
Moreover, Supported Employment Ltd has been running without trained Job Coaches since its inception, with staff only just trained a couple of months ago.
Whilst the development of PATHs is welcome, we need to ask why such low numbers have gone through Supported Employment Ltd and how many of these have gone on to have meaningful employment throughout their working lives.
