A young man who was experiencing poor mental health has found a new career and increased confidence with the support of staff from EPUT, his employment specialist, and new work colleagues.
Alex Rider, who is autistic and has Asperger’s syndrome, was previously a support worker and had been studying psychology at degree level.
After some stressful events in his life, he began receiving support from our Asperger’s Service and Learning Disabilities Psychology and Behaviour Therapy Service.
He was then referred to our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service to help him with his new career goals. The team supports people experiencing poor mental health throughout Essex and works in partnership with the charity Employ-Ability.
Alex, from Billericay, said: “I was initially quite unwell when I was referred to the employment service and started working with Employ-Ability in summer 2021 after my therapy was finished.”
He was keen to find a job that involved working outdoors, so employment specialist Geraint Hole contacted Abberton Rural Training, who were running a project in Stow Maries. Alex joined the project in February this year and had been learning content from a Level 1 City and Guilds Countryside and Management course.
“Compared to four years of doing very little, and of course the impact of lockdown, the positive impact it had on me was noticeable,” he said.
Geraint said: “I saw a transformation in Alex in the fact he was getting out of the house and he felt he had a purpose.”
The 29-year-old now works four days a week at Langdon Hills Golf and Country Club in Horndon on the Hill. The opportunity came about after Geraint had a chance meeting with the club’s general manager, Chris Hanks, at a business exhibition.
He put him in touch with golf course director Tony Dunstan, who gave Alex a job in August.
Tony said: “We had set up a relationship with ECL and another young man who has autism. Everything was working well and we felt as a company we should be more inclusive and diverse.
“It’s been a breath of fresh air bringing Alex on board, and seeing his enthusiasm and willingness to learn. He’s so able to get on and if he needs support we give him that support.”
The club has worked with Essex County Council’s Targeted Employment Team to arrange for Alex to start a Level 2 Horticulture or Landscape Operative apprenticeship.
Alex works as a horticulture operative and has been gathering and analysing data to ensure the green is in good condition for golfers to use. This includes checking moisture and performance levels, which was especially important during the dry summer and heatwaves.
“The golfers are very interested in what I’m doing because I am the guy stabbing the ground with a sensor,” he said.
“Just the fact I have been able to openly talk to some of the golfers on the course and explain what I’m doing has been a good experience.”
Alex said research has shown that creating diverse workplaces benefits everyone, whether they have a disability or not.
“I think people are a lot more aware nowadays of disabilities but I think the biggest thing is how people talk to and interact with disabled people,” he said.
Tony said: “It’s about understanding people. Alex has been very open about things that could potentially upset him, so we can see triggers coming on at times and support him.”
The golf club is also part of the Disability Confident employer scheme, which encourages employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.
Helping people into work
Our Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Service helped 114 people find work between April and September this year.
EPUT and Employ-Ability are both rated Good in their IPS Fidelity Reviews, which are carried out by an external provider and measure how well the service is doing.
EPUT also has an Employment Retention Service, which helps people in work who need support to deal with the impact of mental health on their job. They helped 238 people retain employment between April and September this year.
The IPS and Employment Retention Service are funded by NHS England and Essex County Council.