Employment: Disability

(asked on 5th July 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to promote more companies to be Level 3 Disability Confident leaders.


Answered by
Sarah Newton Portrait
Sarah Newton
This question was answered on 10th July 2018

Disability Confident, which was formally launched in November 2016, helps employers to improve in their ability to recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Over 6,800 employers have joined the scheme to date. Disability Confident employers make specific commitments, offering a range of job opportunities, work experience, work trials, supported internships etc.

In line with the Work and Pensions Select Committees recommendation that the Department commissions an evaluation of the campaign before 2020. My Department is currently developing our proposals to undertake this.

As an example of its impact, since becoming Disability Confident, KPMG have been involved in initiatives to create more opportunities for disabled people. For example in their Leeds office, partnering with the Lighthouse futures trust, they are providing 5 young adults with autism a year’s internship at KPMG. They also have a focus on social mobility and a successful apprenticeship program which has helped them widen participation into the professions.

The number of disabled people in work has increased by around 600,000 since 2013. It is not possible to attribute the direct impact of Disability Confident on this.

Since the launch of the scheme in November 2016, more than 130 employers have progressed to become Disability Confident Leaders (Level 3), including all of the main Government Departments.

My Department is running an ongoing campaign to support sign ups to Disability Confident and regularly showcases the work of Disability Confident Leaders (level 3) via case studies on social media. In addition, Disability Confident Leaders encourage and support other employers (level 1 and 2) on their Disability Confident journey through specialist themed events.

The Disability Confident Business Leaders Group, comprising prominent national businesses, is also promoting the scheme to other employers.

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