Remploy, the UKís provider of employment services for disabled people, and Dyslexia Action, the largest national provider of services and support for people with dyslexia and literacy difficulties, signed a national agreement this week which will see hundreds of people being supported into, or remain in, employment.
The agreement was signed at Dyslexia Actionís head office in Egham and is the culmination of a six month trial run across Coventry, Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Sutton Coldfield, Peterborough and Stone. The relationship will now be rolled out nationally to Dyslexia Actionís 26 centres.
Chief Executive of Dyslexia Action, Shirley Cramer, explains the importance of the partnership:
ìPoor literacy and basic skills cost the UK economy around 1 billion a year,î she said. ìIn the region of 370 million is spent on people with dyslexia who have been excluded from school, are long-term unemployed or who are on probation or in prison. It is vital that we form these proactive partnerships to move people from benefits into work.
ìWorking with Remploy allows Dyslexia Action to provide screening, assessment, tuition, training and advice to jobseekers or people struggling with dyslexia in their workplace. Additionally, Remploy has the specialist employment services and key employer relationships to retain and support people into employment ñ itís a win, win situation.î
Around ten per cent of the UK population is affected by dyslexia to some degree, with up to two million individuals severely affected. Remploy aims to annually find 20,000 jobs in mainstream employment for disabled people within the next five years and people with dyslexia often have abilities well above average in practical and technical tasks.
Stephen Dunn, Remployís Business Group Development Manager, signed the landmark agreement and said:
ìRemploy believes in putting peopleís abilities first and we have a proven track record of supporting people with a range of learning disabilities, including dyslexia, into employment.
ìThis is a unique partnership in terms of its scale and the range of services that will now be available to candidates. Dyslexia should not be a barrier to gaining or staying in rewarding employment and we are confident that this new agreement will help many hundreds of people in the future.î
New support for jobseekers with Dyslexia
A pioneering partnership between two leading disability organisations is set for national success following a trial in the Midlands
