Just the job for David
A local man who has a learning disability, David Smalley, has triumphed over the recession by finding paid employment with the support of Warwickshire Employment Support Team (WEST).
WEST, which is provided by the county council, provides support to adults with learning disabilities to find and maintain paid employment by means of job-finding, interview practice, CV writing and on-the-job coaching once the employment has started.
David was supported by WEST to approach Dave Silcock, manager of TCB Contracts, Exhall, to ask for employment opportunities at a time when the firm was looking for a yard-person. David started work soon after, supported by a job-coach from WEST, working on tasks such as sweeping and hosing the yard, tidying building equipment, stacking bricks and jet-washing the machinery on arrival from construction sites.
Manager, Dave Silcock, says that David is a good worker who gets on well with all the staff at TCB. Dave says that David has made a big difference to the yard and warehouse and makes the other jobs easier for the rest of the team because the workplace is much cleaner and tidier.
Getting a paid job has improved David’s life in many ways. He said:
“WEST helped me to get the job here and have supported me. Having a job has changed my life because it has helped me to earn my own money to take my Mum and Dad out for a meal and buy a new laptop. It has also helped me to lose weight so I am now more healthy.”
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Portfolio Holder for Adult, Health and Community Services at Warwickshire County Council, said: “We congratulate David for making a great success of his new role. People with learning disabilities tell us that they want to have the same opportunities to get a job as anybody else and our WEST service is there to help more people gain employment and better their lives whilst also making a positive contribution to society.”
She added: “WEST are always looking for potential employers like the forward-thinking TCB Contracts who, in this particular case, have demonstrated a commitment to supporting people with learning disabilities in the local community and have realised the benefits of doing so.”
For more information about the WEST service please contact Annette Skermer, Manager of Warwickshire Employment Support Team, on 02476 385200.