Member Article

‘People with disabilities can bring a lot to businesses’ says student apprentice

Local college student, Jake Andrews, 20, has Cerebral Palsy, a condition that affects his movement and balance. He first became aware of the possibility of doing an apprenticeship when he saw an advert by Shipley College in his local Jobcentre Plus. After being accepted onto the course, Shipley College put Jake in touch with companies that were looking to recruit apprentices.

Most people send off dozens of applications before they are finally offered a job, and Jake was no exception. In all he believes he applied for 40 roles. But his perseverance paid off when, after two interviews, AdviserPlus (based in Shipley, Yorkshire) offered him an apprenticeship in their learning and development department. He works four days a week in the office, and spends the other day at college.

Jake said: “Apprenticeships are a really good way of getting disabled and young people the experience that they need and helps with their prospects of employment. I didn’t feel that I had too much work pushed on me at the beginning, but have made progress, gradually getting more and more responsibility. It’s a great company to work for; there’s a lot of room for growth and improvement.”

Jake is clear to point out that he has never let his condition get in the way of his ambitions and believes disabled people have a huge amount of talent to bring to the workplace.

“I’m aware that I have a disability, but I’ve never known anything different and it’s never stopped me from doing anything. What drives me is the pride of going to work, doing a job and being respected. That’s really important to me . It’s what I want to do. I’ve never been one to say that because I’ve got a disability I can’t achieve my ambitions.I’ve always wanted to go out there and do something with my life, earn my own money and take pride in what I’m doing. There are lots of people out there who have a disability but who want to work and are more than capable of doing a job. I’m sure I’m not alone in being a disabled person who wants a career and to be able to earn a living. People with disabilities can bring a lot to businesses.” said Jake.

Chris Clarke, CEO of AdviserPlus said, “AdviserPlus is extremely proud to be involved with the Prime Minister’s Disability Confident Campaign. It is important to our organisation that we recruit and retain the most talented and gifted individuals. It therefore makes sense to attract people from the widest talent pool including disabled applicants who are often the most loyal and committed employees. Jake is a young man, who regardless of his disability, makes a valuable contribution to his team and AdviserPlus and wants to really prove himself in his job.”

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