DARTMOUTH GETS
WORKFIT Written by Emma Jones
follows the structure of our children’s education is a worrying thought. For those of us with a child with learning disabilities the concerns are no different. All any parent can wish for is a happy child who leads life to the full reaching their potential. the same is true for any parent of a child with additional needs but it’s arguably harder to achieve when the opportunities are few and far between. the Down’s syndrome Association
F
(DsA) has sought to address this issue and set up the national and free WorkFit programme in 2012 with the aim of connecting employers with employees with Down’s syndrome. the initiative turns the concept of
or many parents the uncertainty of the working world which
supported employment on its head by providing both a free and tailored package of support to both employer and potential employee. In Dartmouth we already have 2 employers who signed up to the programme many months ago even before the Devon WorkFit office opened in exeter in October 2014. Café Alf resco is a Dartmouth institution known by all and owners Kate & Pete ryder have long been passionate supporters of their community and understand the importance of investing in their staff and the town they live in. Many a teenager has honed their working skills on the Alf resco floor and the café has a strong, committed workforce. One of their newest team
members is Misha Kary who started work in Alfs in 2013 and now works once a week in the café. Misha is 18 and has Down’s syndrome and after leaving school her parents were keen for her to gain important life skills and find a job. Kate was keen to offer Misha work but only came across the WorkFit programme when searching for appropriate training. WorkFit has worked with the Alf
resco team teaching them about the Down’s syndrome’s specific learning profile as well as assessing the particular needs of both employer and employee. Following on from a bespoke training session, the staff at Alfs reported that training “helped them understand what support Mischa needed and it gave them a
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