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Building Improved Flexible Pre-Occupational Courses in Appropriate Language for Visually Impaired

BiFocal VI

Pre-employment programme

and the UK experience

Presented by Andy White - RNIB

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Introduction to RNIB and its activities

• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is the UK's leading charity offering information, support and advice to over two million people with sight loss

• RNIB increases our activities in the UK by forming associations with other leading sight-loss charities such Action for Blind People

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Our vision and mission

Our vision is :• A world where people who are blind or partially

sighted enjoy the same rights, responsibilities, opportunities and quality of life as people who are sighted.

Our mission is:• To challenge blindness by empowering people who

are blind or partially sighted, removing the barriers they face and helping to prevent blindness.

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RNIB's employment services

• RNIB deliver a range of employment services throughout the UK to support blind and partially sighted people into employment and to retain their jobs

• Annual target to help 500 people per year into employment

• Annual target to help 750 people per year retain their jobs

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RNIB's role in the BiFocal project

• Supporting FIRR, MCA and Malatya MEM to utilise the Visage toolkit to support blind and partially sighted jobseekers in Poland, Bulgaria and Turkey

• Developing materials that enhance the Visage toolkit in the form of a pre employment programme

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Pre employment programme

• Structured learning environment to help those that are further from the labour market develop the necessary skills to become 'job-ready'

• 15-module training programme, to fast-track blind and partially sighted people towards the labour market

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Pre employment programme

• Original pilots held in Scotland, London and Sheffield

• Evaluation of those pilots led to second revision of the programme

• Testing of final draft held in Northern Ireland, London, Middlesbrough, and at RNIB College.

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Impact, conclusions and next steps

• 29 participated in original pilots• All participants were out of work for 2+ years

and were distant from labour market• 6 successful in securing employment• 9 went into further education and training• 5 went onto other work-related training and

development

Success!

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Conclusions

• Recognised the need for different models of support dependent on distance from labour market

• Those furthest from the labour market benefit from a structured learning environment

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Next steps

• Production of pre-employment programme (English edition)

• BiFocal partners have access to final draft programme and supplements

• Seeking further funding for wider dissemination and translation of programme

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Contact

www.rnib.org.uk/employment

andy.white@rnib.org.uk