RELEASED: 8:15 AM, February 25, 2020 Carrington Walker Kevin Griffey from Strawberry Line Cafe '' Straw...
RELEASED: 8:15 AM, February 25, 2020
Kevin Griffey from Strawberry Line Cafe ''
Strawberry Line Cafe
Around nine out of ten adults with learning difficulties in North Somerset are unemployed, a new study says.
Lucy Colman from Strawberry Line Coffee Public Health England statistics show that 14.1% of people of working age learning disabilities in the district are currently paid for work, compared to 80.7% of the total population.
While employment in the UK is at its highest level, the Mencap charity says employment rates for people with learning difficulties continue to be affected as they "face many obstacles".
An important employer for adults with learning difficulties in North Somerset is the Strawberry Line Cafe, located at Yatton train station.
The café surrounds all paid jobs without supervision for people with learning difficulties.
Director Natasha Pester said it started when she and her director Ann Ramsey identified "an obvious need for an employment program for people with learning difficulties".
Natasha said: "We have found that these people sometimes get government support, be it money or a worker, and this can be lost or reduced if they start paid employment."
"They also tend to spend more time on education or training programs. If they leave the company and are looking for entry-level employment, they are no longer entitled to a lower minimum wage. Employers see it as a waste of money."
She added: "All the people we have employed are great employees, and when the public realizes what we are doing, they want to support us even more."
Mark Capper, development manager at Mencap, described the results as "really disappointing" and "stubbornly low".
He said that modest and sensible workplace adjustments could help people with learning difficulties become committed members of the workforce.
He said: "People with learning difficulties can work and want to work. However, they face many obstacles that are often the first hurdle due to inaccessible application forms."
The UK currently has 4.4 million people with disabilities, a record.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Labor and Pensions, however, admitted, "We know there is more to be done."
