Previous Projects

Kickstart Scheme

The Kickstart Scheme was a £2 billion government fund to create hundreds of thousands of high quality 6-month work placements for young people.

Funding available for each job covered the relevant National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week, plus the associated employer National Insurance contributions and employer minimum automatic enrolment contributions.

ELITE offered a specialist wrap around support to young people, ensuring that the young person had a bespoke and person centred package to increase their employability skills and improve their prospects of gaining a sustainable job.

JobSense East Wales

JobSense was funded by the European Social Fund to help people, aged 25 or over, with a sensory loss to find employment. If you have a sensory loss and are currently out of work, JobSense could help you access employment, education or training.

In partnership with RNID and the Centre of Sign, Sight and Sound (COS) ELITE’s role in JobSense was to work with participants who are blind or have sight loss, and those who are deafblind. ELITE worked with employers to enable their ability to recruit from a diverse workforce while applying the appropriate tools for inclusion.

People with a sensory loss face significant barriers to work. A recent survey of employers by RNIB revealed that 75% of respondents would sooner employ an ex-convict than a person with vision loss. A person who is deaf or has hearing loss is FOUR TIMES more likely to be out of work than a hearing person. People registered as blind or partially sighted are nearly FIVE TIMES more likely to be unemployed for five years or more than the general population.

The ongoing JobSense West Wales and Valleys programme built on the success of the JobSense project and is currently providing support to new areas in Wales.

Employability Skills Programme

The Employability Skills Programme was a Welsh Government funded employment project with the goal of providing training and work opportunities for long term unemployed adults. Each journey was personalised to the individual. Working in partnership with iTec, ELITE aimed to upskill participants by providing employability workshops and work placements with the end of obtaining full time employment.

Participants took part in the programme in a voluntary capacity. The Employability Skills programme was conducted over a 26-week period from start to finish.

The programme involved:

12 weeks – centre-based course activities.
14 weeks – meaningful work placement.

Specialist Employability Support (SES)

The Department of Work and Pensions Specialist Employability Support (SES) was a UK wide programme of intensive support and training. ELITE Supported Employment provided the support for South Wales. Our Employment Advisors enabled SES participants to gain the skills necessary to prepare for work.

New Opportunties

The New Opportunities project aimed to improve the lives for those furthest from the job market. Through unique training modules, participants gained access to a wide range of work-related learning to improve their skills and confidence. Managed by Wales Council for Voluntary Association’s Active Inclusion fund, which is supported by funding from the European Social Fund, New Opportunities aimed to improve the experience of people with disabilities and/or disadvantages through employment-focused volunteering and work experiences.

Real Opportunities

The European funded Real Opportunities Transition into Employment Project worked with young people aged 14 – 19 with severe and complex needs, or a learning disability, supporting them through their transition to adulthood.

Throughout all experiences, individuals were supported by one of ELITE’s specially trained staff of Peer Mentors, who provided one-to-one training and social support.

ELITE Supported Employment Real Opportunities

Work Choice

Work Choice was an employment programme that supported people with disabilities and long-term health issues who faced real barriers in gaining and keeping work. Work Choice operated in partnership with Shaw Trust on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Work Choice was a flexible programme that was individually tailored. It helped individuals reach their full potential so that they could move to independent, unsupported employment.

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need provided funding for ELITE to work with young people with disabilities aged 14 to 18 years, throughout South and West Wales. The project enabled the young people to receive appropriate support to experience the opportunity of a specialised vocational assessment, work awareness course, employment visits and work experience in ordinary work settings.

The project provided our participants with an informed choice to progress to a vocational training course or their own employment goal.