Learning Disability Week 2021: Cardiff and Vale UHB Approved as a Project SEARCH Organisation

In line with Learning Disability Week, we are pleased to announce that Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) has been approved as a Project SEARCH organisation, the fourth health organisation in Wales to do so, in turn contributing to being one of over forty hospital programmes nationally.

Project SEARCH is a unique pre-employment programme which helps young people with learning disabilities, aged between 16 and 24. The programme equips these young people with the necessary knowledge and skills they need in order to get meaningful paid jobs.

The Project SEARCH programme works in partnership with Cardiff City Council, Cardiff Commitment and Cardiff and Vale UHB, providing a framework for an internship programme for young people with learning disabilities.

The students will begin and end their day with their college tutor in the classroom, whilst the rest of the time they will be out on their placement learning job related skills and being supported by the placement manager and experienced job coach who are on site at all times.

The Project SEARCH team are putting the Health Board’s commitment to advancing equality into practice by striving to give individuals the opportunity to achieve their potential, free from prejudice and discrimination, and promoting the right to be treated with fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy.

There are many benefits both to the young people and the University Health Board. In addition to the chance for the students to acquire competitive, transferable and marketable job skills, they will also obtain work based individual coaching, instruction and feedback, in turn increasing their confidence, independence and self-esteem, not to mention the access to developing links to Vocational Rehabilitation and other adult service agencies.