FROM THE BBC:
“Devon training café helps 30
people further their careers”
(The No Limits Café opened in
March 2020)
A training café in south Devon
that opened in 2020 has helped 30 people with additional needs get into jobs or
further education, managers have said. The No Limits Café in Newton Abbot is
helping people make the transition into paid work through training and support.
Government research said fewer than 10% of adults with learning disabilities
were in paid employment. Staff at the project said their example could
show other potential employers the "benefits of a diverse workforce".
Sarah Thorp, director of the café, which is a community interest company (CIC),
said one of the motivations was because she "found it really difficult to
understand" why there was a lack of employment for those with learning
difficulties. She said: "Supported in the right way, they are capable of
accessing employment in all sorts of roles."
(Former No Limits Café staff
member Tom)
Tom, 24, is one of the success
stories of the project, which saw the café open in March 2020. Ms Thorp said he
had changed from being someone who "didn't want to approach
customers" to becoming "an amazing barista". Tom said he was
inspired by the project and "got really good at making the patterns on the
coffees". He then got a job through the government's Kickstart scheme,
which provides businesses with funding to take on unemployed 16 to 24 year
olds. He said the help from No Limits to get his new post at a dessert kitchen
in Torquay was "really good".
Ms Thorp said: "What we're
hoping to do is enable other organisations to realise what reasonable
accommodations are [to allow people to work], and how easy they are to
implement, so that they can reap the benefits of a diverse workforce. "It's
hugely rewarding just to provide them [people the cafe supports] with that
outlet and make the world more accessible."
^ There needs to be more programs
and places like this around the world. ^
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