The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has secured £465,000 of Government funding to help local businesses recruit and retain people with disabilities and long term health conditions.
The Cornwall Work and Health Beacon Project is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to widen the pool of talent and experience available to employers, creating opportunities for local people and helping to tackle skills shortages.
The project will work with businesses to co-create solutions and build their confidence to employ and retain people with disabilities and long term health conditions, and ensure they have the right support and information available to them.
Mark Duddridge, Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP said: “We want to remove barriers to employment and address workplace health so that more people with disabilities and long term illness can enter work, return to work, and remain in work.
“We know that businesses can be nervous about hiring someone with a disability but at the same time have trouble finding the skills they need. So we want to change behaviours and build confidence because an inclusive workforce is good for the individual, good for the economy and good for business.”
Truro & Falmouth MP Sarah Newton, Minister of State for Disabled People, Work and Health, added: “The positive links between work and health are well proven and the Government is committed to getting more disabled people into work. The LEP has already done some excellent work in this area and our hope is that this project can be a model for other regions to follow.”