Help & Advice Useful Services Employment & Skills List of services that provide employment support, life skills training and work experience opportunities for individuals with Autism. To find out more about post-education options for SEND students please click here. National Access to Work Helps you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability. The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for: a grant to help pay for practical support with your work, advice about managing your mental health at work, and money to pay for communication support at job interviews. Click here to visit website. Once the main application for Access to Work has been submitted. Organisations can refer people with high in-work support needs to their new Access to Work PLUS scheme. Action for Kids Help disabled young people aged 14-25 to build aspirations and develop life and work skills so they can prepare for life after school and move into paid employment. Click here to visit website. Ambitious About Autism Ambitious about Autism runs an award-winning programme called Autism Exchange for autistic people aged 16-25 providing opportunities to access paid work experience with the Civil Service and other leading organisations and companies. Click here to visit website. CAP UK If you need help with money, whether that's help to get out of debt, find a job or gain vital life skills, Christians Against Poverty provides a range of free services across the UK through local churches. Click here to visit website. Catch 22 Delivers high-quality, tailored programmes that equip individuals facing barriers to work with the support they need for a path into sustainable employment or training. Click here to visit website. Enna Connects neurodivergent job-seekers to job opportunities with Neurodiversity friendly employers. They offer a range of employment support services and are completely ran by neurodivergent people. Click here to visit website. Exceptional Individuals Provide post-education employment services for neurodivergent and autistic people such as CV guidance, free job coaching, online workshops and access to a neurodiverse jobs board. Click here to visit website. The Image Project Provides an employability toolkit for students and graduates with ASD. Click here to visit website. Mencap If you are a person with a learning disability looking for work, or an employer interested in working with people with a learning disability, Mencap can help. Their employment service helps you to find work and develop the skills and confidence needed to get a job. Click here to visit website. National Autistic Society National Autistic Society – Moving between different stages of life, such as school, college and work, is especially hard if you find change difficult. This section of the NAS website provides advice about strategies and support that can help. Click here to visit website. Natspec Natspec is the membership association for organisations which offer specialist further education and training for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Click here to visit website. Princes Trust The Princes Trust provide help for Young People Employment Programmes. Click here to visit website. Responsa Coaching Responsa Coaching offers specialist autism coaching / mentoring for persons in all aspects of their lives, including the workplace or in higher education. Click here to visit website. UCAS You can use the UCAS website to search for courses, universities, colleges, apprenticeships and advice. Click here to visit website. Amazing Apprenticeships Everything you need to know about apprenticeships. Their website provides resources and helpful information. Click here to visit website. GOV.UK - Apprenticeships The Government website explains what Apprenticeships are and how to apply for them. Apprenticeships allow anyone aged 16 or over to combine work with study. To find out more click here. GOV.UK - Traineeships The Government website explains what Traineeships are and how to apply for them. A traineeship is a course with work experience that gets you ready for work or an apprenticeship. It can last from 6 weeks up to 1 year, though most traineeships last for less than 6 months. Click here to visit website. SCOPE Offers advice and support on how to start your own business. Click here to visit website. Princes Trust Support unemployed young entrepreneurs like you in exploring your business ideas, providing free business advice, expertise, mentoring and funding to help make your dreams a reality. Click here to visit website. The Pitch Article on how to get government support for starting your own business. Click here to visit website. Grants Expert Grants and advice for disabled entrepreneurs. Click here to visit website. Essex ACL Essex ACL offers a wide range of day time and evening adult learning courses to help you improve your job prospects, learn a new skill or simply inspire you. Click here to visit website. Citizens Advice Tendring Mental Health Hub Offers a 12 month mental health recovery programme during which they will support you to: improve your confidence and wellbeing, build your employability and social skills, build a support network and make new friends. Click here to visit website. Colchester Financial and Employment Support Team Provides back to work support, developing confidence and offering advice to those out of work. Click here to visit website. Community Connections Essex A tailored employability support programme where an Employability Support Advisor can work alongside those referred on to the programme for approximately 8-10 weeks, identifying their needs, and putting together an individual package of face-to-face support ranging from CV writing, interview techniques, job searching skills, job applications and digital skills. Click here to find out more. Community Agents Find a community agent near you who can come to your home and help with mobility issues, practical living skills, social inclusion, healthy living, caring for someone, and independent resilience. Click here to visit website. Chelmsford College Range of well-established full-time or part-time courses for young people and adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These courses are designed to help you develop practical, social and life skills. Click here to visit website. ECL The ECL are offering an Inclusive Employment programme to enhance the opportunities available to you. They can help you to identify possible employers, develop CVs, arrange and mediate interviews, offer skills development, work experience, and on-the-job coaching. Click here to visit website. Essex Opportunities One stop shop for information and advice on jobs, careers, skills and training. This portal has everything you need to help build a career. Use this portal to search for jobs, courses and apprenticeships based in Essex. Click here to visit website. Essex Youth Service This Youth Service offers traineeships, volunteering opportunities, work experience, youth groups, activities and more across Essex. Click here to visit website. Get Set for Work Inclusive support programme for adults living in Essex with a learning disability and/or neurodiverse needs (with or without a diagnosis). Click here to visit website. IPS Employment Services Provides specialist employment support to people who have a mental health illness. Click here to visit website. Parents Aid Provide careers guidance to enable parents wishing to return to work to identify the careers options to which they are best suited. Click here to visit website. Personal Assistants for Life Skills PALS offers award-winning support services to help young people and adults achieve their goals and learn important life skills. Based in Chelmsford. Click here to visit website. Plan B Traineeship Offers comfortable, small classroom learning environments for those aged 16-24 who are not in college, work or training. They continue working with you up to 6 months after you finish. Click here to visit website. Sailship Sailship offers unique supported training and learning and is a place to gain work skills, train towards employment/volunteering, learn new life skills, de-stress, improve mental health and wellbeing, recover/rehabilitate and take part in therapeutic sessions in a safe and enjoyable environment. Click here to visit website. Realise Futures Offers a range of work experience (including café’s, gardening, fulfilment & more), employment support & advice, coaching services, peer support, walk-in advice, adult learning and learning centres. Click here to visit website. Working for Essex Tool to find jobs in Essex Click here to visit website. WS Training WS Training provides impartial career advice, opportunities, training and study-related advice in order to help learners make decisions about their future and reach their full potential. Click here to visit website. Zinc Education Zinc is an arts-based education charity, located in Ongar, Essex, focusing on delivering core subjects, independent living and life skills all taught through cross curricular arts-based projects. They work with adults with profound and multiple learning difficulties, mobility issues and other complex needs. Students learn functional skills, gain work experience and build up a portfolio of AQA accredited units and certificates in visual arts, performing arts, maths, English and science. Click here to visit website. Suffolk Realise Futures Offers a range of work experience (including café’s, gardening, fulfilment & more), employment support & advice, coaching services, peer support, walk-in advice, adult learning and learning centres. Click here to visit website. WS Training WS Training provides impartial career advice, opportunities, training and study-related advice in order to help learners make decisions about their future and reach their full potential. Click here to visit website. Food Museum Provide a number of learning experiences and activities for youth groups such as outdoor campfire cooking, bread making and baking in our bread oven, nature journaling, meeting the animals on site, foraging for wild foods, mini beast hunts and coming soon, a forest school. Click here to visit website. Green Light Trust Step by Step is their day service for adults with additional needs. This is a long-term program where participants can come and spend the day, looking after chickens, gardening, growing fruit and veg, woodwork and many other activities. The trust occasionally offers short, funded courses running in their woods for adults with additional needs. These courses offer participants a chance to learn how to light fires, learn to use basic woodworking tools and some basic woodland management skills. Click here to visit website. Norfolk About with Friends Their work skills programme offers adults with learning disabilities the chance to learn in real, working environments. Members can choose to work in their catering or gardening teams, alongside chefs and gardeners doing work for real customers. Click here to visit website. Break Charity Provide opportunities and employment pathways for those who have grown up in care. The project was designed with young people to support a care leaver as they move into adulthood in all aspects of their lives. They also run a building futures project, put in place to inspire young people in the world of Construction. Click here to visit website. Nansa Provides transition and employment support for young people and adults with multiple or complex needs. On Track is their project to support young people aged 16-24 to get into education, training or employment. Milestones is their Transition Service for 18-25 year olds who are preparing for adulthood. Also provide internal Traineeships in their Nansa Charity Shops in and around Norwich. Click here to visit website. Thera Trust Thera East Anglia supports adults with a learning disability in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk. Offers support in the home and can also help with finding a job, get work experience and gain important life skills. Click here to visit website. Manage Cookie Preferences