21 December
Skills and Employment Board supported by Employers' Forum on Disability
The Employers' Forum on Disability welcomes the appointment of representatives from eight of its members to London's new Skills and Employment Board.
The appointments include five of the Employers' Forum on Disability's Gold Card core funders; Merrill Lynch, Lloyds TSB, Jobcentre Plus, Learning and Skills Council and the London Development Agency.
The Forum supports Chairman Ken Livingstone's pledge that the board needs to “work with London's employers to ensure Londoners receive the training they need to get jobs.”
However, the Forum also believes that the long-standing issue of unemployment and the skills shortage in London cannot be properly addressed unless disability and how it affects business is taken into account.
The Forum believes that the newly appointed Board needs to engage employers at the earliest possible opportunity on the business case for employing disabled people.
Susan Scott-Parker, Chief Executive of the Employers' Forum on Disability says:
“It's essential that the Skills and Employment Board consider the contribution that people with disabilities have to make.
“There are at least 1.5 million part time disabled workers not reaching their potential nationwide.
“It's also known that nearly half of unemployed disabled people believe they could work with adjustments.
“The Skills and Employment Board need to get the message across to employers that with a few simple adjustments there is an untapped workforce of talented disabled people who want to work.”
Ends
For further information on the Employers' Forum on Disability contact the Forum press office
Issy RuleEmployers' Forum on Disability press office
Telephone: 020 7403 3020
Mobile: 07754 522 521
Email: issy.rule@employers-forum.co.uk
Web: www.employers-forum.co.uk
For the latest thinking on how disabled people contribute to business success and how business benefits from disability confidence see: www.realising-potential.org