A job coach is a professional who works with people with disabilities to find and maintain employment.
Many supported employment projects employ job coaches to work with young people with a learning disability, such as the supported internships programme. Enrolling in such a project means a job coach can help you with:
- on-site work training
- job searching
- finding and maintaining employment
However, you do not need to be enrolled in a supported employment project to have access to a job coach. Anyone who has a disability who is in secured paid employment can apply for a job coach through Access to Work – GOV.UK.
What job coaches offer
A supported employment project job coach can or may:
- work with you one-on-one and, or in a small group
- help with interpersonal skills, which is important if you have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- assess your strengths and needs (or they may rely on an already completed assessment)
- work with you both in and outside of the workplace
An Access to Work job coach can:
- only work with individuals (not in a group)
- only provide on-site support in the workplace, which allows the coach to directly observe the abilities of the employee.
Benefits of job coaches to employers
Job coaches also benefit employers. By helping to support employees with disabilities, job coaches may:
- help the employee to work more productively
- reduce the amount of time other staff are needed to support the individual
- get the most out of the employee, using their skills and abilities to the full
- assist the team to work better together by supporting initial communication
How to get a job coach
One way to get a job coach is to join a supported employment project, such as the supported internships programme. This will provide you with a job coach to support you through a period of unpaid work experience.
Access to Work
If you have a disability or health condition (physical or mental) that makes it hard for you to do parts of your job, you can apply for a job coach through Access to Work – GOV.UK.
To be eligible for a job coach funded by Access to Work you must be either:
- in a paid job
- or about to start a job (or returning to one)