Does your adult ND child have a job?

[Sweetsarenice]

My son has ASD and since leaving school six yrs ago hasn’t really worked. It’s not the lack of trying, he’s applied all over (no clear view what he wants to do) but has a little retail/waiting on experience. He’s done all number of courses, but still cannot get a job.
I’ve tried to get him help but to no avail. Volunteering was offered but he’s fed up of working for nothing. Who can help, what has your son/daughter done to secure employment?

How old is DS? Does he have an EHCP?

Scope offers some employment support. Though it can be limited.

Ambitious about Autism offers some employment support.

Depending on where you live there are some local schemes. For example, Mencap have a supported employment scheme in Sutton. Several areas have a Connect to Work programme. Some parts of Manchester have Working Well. In Stockport there is Pure Innovations.

Is DS, or you as his appointee, claiming UC?

Great advice from PP
This is the NAS advice

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/employment/support-to-get-work-experience-and-find-a-job

Wishing him luck. At the special school I taught at we employed an ex pupil as a lunchtime supervisor. Another pupil I taught now works as a TA in a mainstream Primary.

I don’t know if my LA still does, but certainly Social Services here used to have a department to try to get disabled adults into employment. Have you looked at your Local Authority’s website?

Likewise, the National Autistic Society used to have job coaches, but I don’t know if they still do?

Some of the major supermarkets have disabled employees on the trolleys or checkouts?

DD (19) has just started an apprenticeship as a TA in a preschool and is getting on really well.

Before then though she's spent a year watching YouTube and crocheting, applying for barista type jobs which she'd never get.

My SIL works with apprentices so gave her a real pep talk about it, then she really worked hard on applying for absolutely everything and managed to get a place.

It's great he's agreed to go on all the courses so far, and I wonder if he just needs to stick at it (I realise that sounds completely over simplistic) and it's just a numbers game?

Has he tried B&M? DC1 did voluntarily work in a local shop one day a week then applied to B&M. They don’t seem to be great employers so have a bit of a staffing problem. When DC1 was there they even employed a woman who had been previously sacked from another B&M store for stealing and they knew and still gave her the job.

Similarly a worker in our local Matalan was telling me that they have several vacancies that they can’t fill.

I would talk to him again about volunteering. The job market is super competitive right now and he’s already at a disadvantage. He is making it more so if he hasn’t got any recent work experience