Helping people into work

Colleagues at our Mr Kipling bakery at Carlton, near Barnsley, were excited to have the opportunity to work with Barnsley Council on their supported employment programme.

Barnsley Council launched the Pathways to Work Commission, chaired by former Cabinet Minister and social mobility champion Rt Hon Alan Milburn, to pave the way for inclusive access to work.

The local authority had identified a young man – Liam* – who was keen to get into work, however, ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder meant he often struggled with social situations and sensory overload.

The commission received widespread national media coverage and the council highlighted Liam’s story as an example of good practice already taking place to support people into work.

To enable him to experience life at the Carlton factory, and see if he could make the transition into being an employee, the HR team at the site hosted a job coach provided by the council so they could learn about a role that might be appropriate for Liam and help him adapt to it.

As a disability confident employer, Premier Foods offered Liam a more relaxed visit to the site rather than a traditional interview, and when he joined the business, the job coach accompanied him every day to support his training and help him settle in.

Liam started by working just a few hours at a time, experiencing different parts of the production line, gradually working up to doing full shifts.

There was a lot for Liam to overcome, such as the need to wear protective clothing and gloves, and he was provided with special ear defenders to help him cope with the factory noise. However, with the support of his job coach and the team at the bakery, Liam adapted to the environment and progressed to working independently.

After completing a few weeks of work experience, Liam was offered a full-time fixed-term contract and is now working on one of the production lines making Mr Kipling’s famous pies.

Stacey Flanagan, HR business partner at our Carlton bakery, said:

“We are thrilled to have been able to move Liam from work experience into paid employment, and thanks to all his hard work he is now a fully-fledged member of the bakery team. We’re continuing to work with the supported employment team at Barnsley Council in the hope we can support more people into work in future.”

*Some names have been changed.