How it works

At Little Gate Supported Employment, we are committed to finding the right employment for the right person; matching our trainees’ skills, ambitions, and interests with employers’ needs.

What we do

Little Gate Supported Employment supports people with learning disabilities into paid employment, apprenticeships, and work experience and by helping us, you are helping to change lives.

How it’s done

With a Job Coach! All of our trainees are fully supported by a Job Coach on every shift and at no cost to your business. They also support you with the trainee to make for a smooth and successful integration.

What could you do?

Could you offer a life-changing opportunity to somebody who wants to work, learn, and achieve in life? We work with many different types of businesses across East Sussex to make this vision a reality. These include The Conquest Hospital, Hailsham Roadways, Hastings Borough Council, and The De La Warr Pavilion to name a few!

To enquire about offering someone an opportunity, please contact the employer engagement team on 01797260580.

The job suits me. I like working quietly on my own and I can just get on with it.

— Stephen, a Little Gate trainee who works at Focus SB.

How it’s done

Job Coaching

Job Coaches are assigned when candidates start training or apprenticeships with Little Gate and will continue their support until the trainee is fully independent. All of our Job Coaches are trained in Systematic Instruction, ensuring that the same learning principles are applied during training and in the workplace.

Workplace preparations

In the workplace our Job Coaches will liaise with the employer and their existing team before the candidate starts work. This ensures any necessary minor adjustments are made and everyone is comfortable with the particular needs of their new workmate.

Starting work

The Job Coach will then support the candidate in the workplace intil they are confident enough to work independently. As well as providing support with the practical aspects of work, the Job Coach will also help our candidate adapt to the workplace environment. This might include building relationships with colleagues and dealing with social aspects of their job.

Ongoing support

Our Job Coaches support candidates directly in the workplace, the timescale will vary according to the person’s individual needs. After this the Job Coach will continue to offer support where needed, for example if elements of the job change and new training is required.

Robyn and Hollie are now both working independently in the nursery. They have become essential members of the team and complete their roles with very little support. Both ladies make a contribution to our setting including social chat in the staff room and sharing news from their daily lives. The key to success of this venture has been the support they has received from their job coach – something that we would not have been able to offer them. It has been great to see both Hollie and Robyn grown in confidence as they have settled into their jobs.

— Manager at Glyne Gap nursery which employs two of our work trainees.

What you could offer a Little Gate trainee or young person

Paid employment

Just like any other paid employee within your business, except that the trainee will be supported by a job coach until fully competent within their role. With the added bonus of creating a life changing opportunity for someone.

An apprenticeship

Not only can this change someone’s life, statistics show that is can increase your business’ retention rate and will diversify your workforce to match our continually changing, diverse economy. There is also a grant available to your business of up to £1,000 per apprentice.

Work experience

Work experience gives our jobseekers the opportunity to try out different roles and take a first step into the world of work. It’s also a great way for prospective employers to see what it’s like to employ one of our candidates without having to make a long-term commitment. There are no costs to your business or obligation to continue onto a paid position or an apprenticeship.

You worry that “this is gonna be a lot of extra work”, but the Little Gate model has been a real shining light…it’s been an incredible experience.

It’s changed the dynamics in our teams – when you introduce the supported apprenticeship the atmosphere really changed. Not only did it give us additional capacity, but it’s been really really empowering for the team and really good fun.

Refreshing our diversity policy, handbook, and plan as well as actively talking about diversity and inclusion helps us to protect the wellbeing of the team and welfare of the team.

Having open and frank discussion and being able to discuss things has meant being able to retain staff and attract new ones. If it wasn’t for the Little Gate activity and the Project Artworks activity we wouldn’t have got that.

— Stewart Drew, Director and Chief Executive of De La Warr Pavilion

To enquire about offering someone an opportunity, please contact the employer engagement team on 01797260580.