Our My Skills, My Strengths, My Rights to Work team review activities over 2017 for our annual report.
Addressing the disparity in employment levels between people living with long term conditions and disabled people and the rest of the population continues to be a key policy of Governments across the UK. In Scotland, the 37% gap between the two suggests we have a long way to go and much greater emphasis must be placed on prioritising the role disabled people and people living with long term conditions can and do play in workplaces across the country.
Employability, access to the labour market and support to stay in work is an important aspect of people’s self management. The My Skills, My Strengths, My Right to Work Project acts as a hub of information and advice, spread through several campaigns and working with government, employers, the public and people with long term conditions and disabled people.
Over the next year we will work to highlight the issues people face in getting into employment and how employers can be ambitious in their approach to reasonable adjustments. We will continue to highlight good practice and strengthening our collective learning through our work with Self Management Network Scotland and Self Management Fund. We’ll also be working with our members and partners to highlight models of support which can assist people to achieve and sustain paid employment.