From an overview of autism, accessing our specialist autism services to just a bit of advice and guidance, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

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Employment support

Our Employment Coaches can help job seekers make informed decisions about future employment. They’ll also work with individuals on ways to develop vocational activities to help them shape their future opportunities.

Our support can help people:

  • Access relevant training
  • Build confidence
  • Develop skills that make people ready for work
  • Carry out job searches
  • Get work experience / placements
  • Learn about job related issues and employment rights
  • One to one support whilst at placement or in the workplace
  • Identify reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

For further information about these services, please contact us on 01909 506 678 or email the Employment Services team.

Employment Champions

Our Employment Champions, who are based at each of our day services, support our day service users to achieve their goals.

This includes helping people to develop skills, find work placed experience or volunteer roles.

We also have a gardening initiative, which offers autistic adults who use our service with the opportunity to learn new skills that could help them move into work. They're able to get involved in maintaining the gardens, which could provide them with a stepping stone into volunteer or paid employment.

Gardening at Whitegates

I have worked with Oliver at AEM since July 2023. We spent time at first looking at job roles that might interest me and any barriers that may need to be overcome to be successful in a role.

We looked at my CV and worked on interview technique and prepared potential interview question answers. Oliver helped me to look for suitable job roles and eventually we applied to Autism East Midlands to work as an autism practitioner. Oliver attended the interview with me, and I was successful in getting the role.

Oliver came to the beginning of training for the role to show where I would be training and to introduce me to the trainer. He was even able to come and find me when I got lost finding the venue in the snow!

I have settled into my role and feel happy with the job. Oliver has kept in touch offering help where necessary. He was able to help me complete my Care Certificate spending time going through all of the paperwork. I would advise any autistic jobseekers to reach out to Autism East Midlands employment services as they work with you to reach and maintain employment.

Anonymous (at users request), Autism Practitioner at Beechwood

When I began working with my work coach at AEM, I quickly made progress and received help around the difficulties unique to my autism. My coach was encouraging and made the process more hopeful then previous job seeking efforts had ever been. An administration position at AEM became available and my coach encouraged me to apply. Happily I was successful in my application for the role.

Since starting with AEM as an admin officer, I’ve found myself integrating very quickly into the company. I’m finding myself more outwardly confident in speaking with colleagues and members of the public. It has been a great benefit to me as a person to have found a place here in AEM as I have done.

Aaron Fairburn, Admin Officer at Autism East Midlands

Support for employers

In conjunction with the Learning and Development team here at AEM, we are also able to offer support to employers. Together we work closely with employers and enable them to understand how to make reasonable adjustments to their recruitment process and the workplace. The Learning and Development team can offer:

  • environmental audits to help make the workplace autism friendly
  • autism awareness training for the workforce and other bespoke training
  • support with reasonable adjustments and support to ensure adhering to the Equality Act of 2010.