IN-DEPTH: PROJECT SEARCH


SEARCH AND YOU WILL FIND


For young adults with learning disabilities a job often plays a pivotal role in shaping their quality of life. Meet Ryan Jenman, a former Project SEARCH trainee who began working at the Trust two years ago.


O Autumn 2016


only seven per cent of adults with learning disabilities were in some form of paid work in 2012, according to the Department of


Health, and mostly in part-time roles. This is in stark contrast to the 65 per cent of people with learning disabilities who said they would like a paid job. Work often plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual’s quality of life – so what are NHS organisations like ours doing to bridge the gap?


Project SEARCH is an international programme aimed at supporting young adults with learning disabilities into paid employment. Ryan Jenman was 16 when he took part in the UK’s first-ever cohort of Project SEARCH. Three years on, he now works at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.


“I had my initial placement at Whipps Cross outpatients in September 2013. The first month was really about settling in and getting to grips with what I was


“I was thrilled to find out I got the job on my birthday - it was the best birthday present I could have hoped for!” Ryan Jenman, ERU technician


doing,” explains Ryan. “There was a lot to take in! But by facing challenging situations my self-confidence has improved.”


Ryan initially found it difficult to commute to work. “Particularly when there was a disruption to travel due to a strike or if I had to get a different route to work,” he adds. But after using public transport more and more, he is now a seasoned London commuter which is important for anyone’s independence.


SUPPORTING EACH STEP OF THE WAY Pivotal to the success of the Project SEARCH trainees is the support provided by a job coach. In Ryan’s case this was Lucy Anson-Golding who also helped him in his hunt for paid work after his placement.


“It was because of Lucy that I managed to move into full-time, paid employment as an endoscope reprocessing unit (ERU) technician. I was interviewed for a role at Charing Cross Hospital and was thrilled to find out I got the job on my birthday in April 2014 – it was the best present I could have hoped for.”


Ryan had some extra coaching to help him adapt to his new situation. Working in the endoscopy unit is a busy job, servicing 26 clinical areas across the Trust, and Ryan plays an important role within the team that turns around the endoscopes.


Ryan about to load an endoscope into the washer disinfector


In September 2016, 12 young adults with learning disabilities aged between 18 and 24 began work experience at Charing Cross Hospital through Project SEARCH. Ryan’s advice to them? “Embrace the project. It’s a huge opportunity to receive training with a high chance of finding a job at the end of it. But you really have to push yourself to get the best out of the programme.”


FOR MORE INFORMATION


Interested in hiring a Project SEARCH intern? Contact Camila Mujica for more information or call 020 3313 4120 / 33040.


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