Advance Employment Partnership Event

Free expert employment advice is being made available at a drop-in day for employers and job-seekers with disabilities in Birmingham city centre next week.

The event, organised by charitable organisation Advance Employment, will showcase the specialist disability support on offer to employers and job-seekers in the area.

Where: Carrs Lane Church Centre, Carrs Lane, Birmingham B4 7SX
When: Tuesday, June 12th 1.40pm – 6pm

Advance Employment’s Partnership Event on June 12th, will feature expert advice on supporting people with long term health problems or disabilities into work. The event will include ways employers can be supported to recruit people with disabilities including Autism, Asperger Syndrome, learning disabilities and visual impairment.

“The event will be an open relaxed forum, an opportunity for local people and employers to meet our specialist partners and find out more about job-related issues and how we can help people into long term employment,” said Marie-Claire Berreen, Advance Employment External Relations Manager.

“We want to give employers the confidence to manage and keep people with disabilities or health problems in work,” she added.

For father of two Tariq Ziyad, 33, from Handsworth, who has a visual impairment, the chance to support his family by working in a rewarding job during the past six months has been like a dream come true.

“I haven’t had many opportunities throughout my life so to find a good job – given the current economic climate has been a real godsend,” said Tariq, who works in a home-based job with Sales Factory Ltd, which generates leads and growth opportunities for businesses.

He found the job after joining a job-seeking course run by one of Advance Employment’s partner organisations Action for Blind People. The job came about through Sales Factory.

“We were looking to expand our workforce and having worked with a visually impaired person before, I wanted to offer more disabled people the chance to join us,” said Sales Factory Commercial Director Bridget Doyle.

“Our biggest challenge is always about finding the right people, Tariq has been loyal, hardworking and has great listening skills which are invaluable in this work, I have been proved right in hiring him,“ said Bridget, who is looking to take on 30 more Visually Impaired people over the next 12 months with the support of Advance and Action for Blind People.

“Action for Blind People has helped every step of the way providing initial training and ongoing support which has meant we are able to offer Tariq and others like him the kind of opportunities which as intelligent, hardworking people they deserve,” she added.

After two years on benefits and a lifetime struggling to find suitable work Tariq, who is registered blind, has at last found the career he has always wanted:

“My disability always held me back, I got very despondent at times and thought I would never find a career now I can support my wife and children which is hugely important to me and I am grateful to Sales Factory, Action for Blind People and Advance Employment for giving me the opportunity to show what I can do,” he said.

Advance Employment which provides housing support and employment services to 1,000 people across the Midlands, helping people with disabilities and mental health issues into work.

The charitable organisation offers a unique person-centred service. People on benefits who want to get into work and employers who are hoping to access them are invited to contact Advance Employment on freephone 0800 0320 894 or by e-mailing [email protected].