Training and employment | How to live well with a health condition or disability

A man in a wheelchair and a woman sat at a table with paperwork in front of them. — Finding a job or choosing a career

The National Careers Service provides help online, by telephone or face-to-face to help you choose or change career.

Job Centre Plus is a universal service - this means they will help anyone on benefits to find work or move closer to being in work. They have offices in most large towns and you can find your nearest one by putting in your postcode on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) website.

Search for a new job:

Council jobs in West Sussex
Jobs in education in West Sussex
MyWorkSearch - an online toolkit that helps jobseekers find job opportunities. It also has a job finder and a CV builder. You will need to sign up in any West Sussex library for an individual account to access this resource. Once you have signed up you can use it anywhere.

Help and advice for disabled and autistic people

Your physical, learning disabilities, autism or mental ill health need not prevent you finding a rewarding job.

The Job Centres new Personal Support Package offers tailored employment support. You will be given a named ‘work coach’ who will help you plan and access specialist programmes and longer term specialist support.

Both the NHS and the County Council fund services that can support you with training, employment and volunteering opportunities.

Supported Employment West Sussex is a new partnership initiative where Aldingbourne Trust WorkAid and Workability from Impact Initiatives have joined together to provide employment support to individuals in West Sussex with lifelong disabilities, physical and sensory issues, acquired brain injury and those who are carers.
Work and Wellbeing (Sussex) is Southdown’s supported employment service which is integrated with the mental health recovery teams to provide tailored support to individuals.
The Government has issued guidance for employers on employing disabled people and people with health conditions.

This gives information on financial support available including:

- Reasonable adjustments – what the law says and financial help available.
- Help with the extra costs disabled people face in work.
- Extra support for small employers.

Stepping Stones - Springboard

Stepping Stones is a new project designed to raise aspirations and improve mental health and wellbeing for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

There are four pathways, each of which aim to focus on a key target area; increasing social interactions, easing challenges with transitions, increasing independence and providing support and skills to increase employability.

Community pathway - build confidence, relationships and reduce social isolation
Lifelong pathway - build on life skills
Transitioning and family support pathway- providing families and young people with bespoke one-to-one support when entering a period of transition
Volunteering and employability pathway - opportunity to gain work experience

The pathways are open to young people ranging from ages 6-30.

Website: springboardsupport.org

Email: hello@springboardproject.com

Call: 01403 218888

Adult learning opportunities

Read our Getting out and about page to find directories for adult learning activities and training courses in your area.

Aspire Sussex Limited a social enterprise delivering adult education across West Sussex. Aspire offers a wide range of courses working with community and voluntary organisations and offers discounts for people on benefits.

Learning in Libraries - You can find events and activities at West Sussex libraries.

The University of the Third Age (U3A) has opportunities for anyone no longer in full-time employment to pursue learning in a friendly environment.

The governments ‘Disability Confident Employer’ scheme replaced ‘Two Ticks’ a couple of years ago and has gained considerable momentum since then. There are three different levels and employers are encouraged to ‘sign up’ and commit to a range of actions. The scheme helps them think differently about disability, and improve how they attract, recruit and retain disabled workers.

More and more businesses are signing up to Disability Confident every week. You can look up the area you are interested in when you download the list of organisations signed up from this webpage.

Your local Job Centre will know the local employers who are part of the scheme and can recommend organisations to you.

If you’re disabled or have a health condition Access to Work is a Government grant to help you work.

It is available if you are offered or are already in a paid job (including zero hour contracts and self-employed) or if you are in work place training.

Funding, up to £59,200, can cover a wide range of things such as: taxi fares, equipment, job coach or supporter, interpreters, counselling, awareness training for colleagues, Notetakers, or software etc. There is no set amount for an Access to Work grant, and how much an individual receives depends upon their circumstances.

Go to The Local Offer website for further details and short films explaining how to make an application.
There is an Easy Read Guide GOV.UK website.
Go to the Preparing for Adulthood website if you are applying because you are in a training work placement.

Last updated: 19 October 2022

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