Connecting employers and employees with Down’s syndrome.
WorkFit is an exciting initiative from the Down’s Syndrome Association that supports adults with Down’s syndrome to access a wide range of work-related opportunities. These include paid employment, volunteering roles, work experience placements and traineeships. Alongside this, WorkFit also works closely with employers, providing guidance and support to help them create inclusive and supportive workplaces.
The Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group and the Down’s Syndrome Association are working in partnership to expand employment opportunities for people with Down’s syndrome in Swindon and the surrounding areas.
WorkFit is a personalised service that focuses on educating employers about the Down’s syndrome learning profile, while matching individuals with the right opportunities for them. We recognise that paid employment is not suitable for everyone, and that meaningful work can take many forms, including voluntary roles, work experience, apprenticeships or paid jobs.
Luke is approaching a significant milestone in his career with Wiltshire Police which sees him starting his tenth year working as an Administrator in the Force Crime & Communications Centre, Devizes. His duties providing administrative support to frontline Operations Control Room colleagues.
Luke registered for WorkFit and joined Wiltshire Police, initially as a volunteer. A respectful, hardworking, rather shy young gentleman who dreamt of having a paid job. His dreams came true when he was offered a paid contract. He has flourished ever since, working 2 shifts per week. Luke always wanted to professionally develop and studied hard to achieve a ‘Employability Skills’ City & Guilds award.
Luke is a confident professional and such a positive example as to what can be achieved with appropriate support. He is a wonderful advocate of inclusion and is a great credit to himself, his family and Wiltshire Police
Four members of Swindon Downs Syndrome Group are working in Order of St Johns Trust elderly residential care homes across Wiltshire and playing their part in building meaningful partnerships in our communities .
Gemma was our first candidate joining the housekeeping team at Seymour House, Chippenham. Gemma says “My role makes me feel good and it has given me more confidence and independence”
Abbie is loving her role at Ridgeway House where she provides residents with refreshments. Jane is enjoying her role at Athelstan House in Malmesbury and Jeremy is also loving his role at Hayward Care Centre, Devizes. Both group members assisting and supporting residents with their daily entertainment activities.
Jeremy started work as a Cinema Host at the Odeon cinema in Trowbridge in 2022 supported by our WorkFit programme. He loves his role greeting guests with a welcome, answering any questions they have and saying goodbye to them as they leave. Jeremy also checks guests’ tickets to make sure they go into the right screen at the right time.
The Swindon Down Syndrome Group recognises the importance of supporting local people with Down’s syndrome to gain valuable work experience and progress into employment. To support this commitment, we have funded our own dedicated WorkFit Liaison Officer, Roy Perrett.
Roy previously spent many years working with Wiltshire Police before retiring, and during this time successfully secured work placements for several young people with Down’s syndrome across a range of police stations. Roy can be contacted at workfitswindon@downs-syndrome.org.uk.
WorkFit is about providing support at every stage of an individual’s employment journey. Roy makes regular visits to young people in their workplaces, helping to ensure long-term success for both the individual and the employer. He also works closely with the Down’s Syndrome Association, which delivers a unique training programme to all employers registered with WorkFit.
Todd works at Coles Scaffolding Contractors Ltd. Todd kept asking Martyn Coles for a job at his scaffolding company, then one day Martyn gave him a trial shift - the rest is history. Todd has been announced as the UK's Best Apprentice.
Lorni was already working at Whitehall Garden Centre in Lacock, however was keen to take on more responsibility. Once registered with WorkFIt we were able to support Lorni and increase her working week from two days a week to three.
Nick has taken on a 12-week paid trial working as a customer service representative 'meeting and greeting' customers.
Stephanie worked at the Village Hotel for three years. She began with a six week work trial and on successfaul completion was taken on as a paid employee. She worked in the kitchen in the morning and the bar area and coffee shop in the afternoon.
Would you like to offer an employment opportunity to someone who has Down’s syndrome?
We can fully support you to do that. We are looking to work with businesses based in Swindon and the surrounding area to develop opportunities for our young people with Down’s syndrome. We are currently working with HSBC, Whitehall Garden Centre, Wiltshire Police and Coles Scaffolding.
For more information please email info@swindondownsgroup.org.uk or workfitswindon@downs-syndrome.org.uk
