WorkFit North West has recently been working with Timpson Ltd in Manchester to fill a vacancy.
Following a successful informal interview and work trial, Timothy began a permanent paid role, working in the Reception area, with additional responsibilities in the key department, training team and post room, providing to support to all the colleagues within the building. Prior to Timothy’s appointment, the teams who would be working with him were given Down’s syndrome awareness training. This included how they could make adjustments to tasks in order to give Timothy the information that he would need to do the job in a way that would suit his learning profile.
Feedback from the training was very positive with comments like,
“I feel better informed and more confident in supporting our new colleague.”
“I’m really looking forward to working with someone from WorkFit.”
The free training and support provided to employers as part of WorkFit is a key part of the success of the programme. The training ensures that candidates are supported by their colleagues leading to a very positive and rewarding experience for everyone.
Timothy says, “I work in reception with Donna and Paul (pictured above) and also do lots of tasks such as mailshots, key stamping, writing out certificates for store, delivering parcels etc. I started working for nine hours over two days.”
Timothy has been warmly welcomed by his enthusiastic and committed colleagues at Timpson House. Tim has already proved himself to be a very capable member of the team and has already been offered additional hours, extending his work to three days a week.
Tim’s mentor, Donna Johnson told us about the day Tim received his first pay slip, “He was quite overcome and so happy. He told me how proud his parents and his sister would be and immediately wanted to treat his colleagues at work to something nice. That is so typical of Tim to think of others before himself. He always asks me about my family and cares about the welfare of those around him – he’s a real joy to work with”.
Laura, Colleague Support Advisor says: “Timothy is doing brilliantly; his work ethic and the quality of what he does are excellent and he is fully integrated into our workplace. His time-keeping is very good and I have every confidence in his abilities and commitment. We are looking forward to developing his role and supporting him to learn new skills.”
Timothy also says, “I like working with everyone here, they are all friendly. I feel proud of myself and I know that I can do more things and buy things because I can go to the bank with my new cash card and get some money when I want to. I am saving up for some PS3 games. I like to go to the gym at Timpson House after work and enjoy playing table tennis at lunchtime. I often play against Adam and I almost always beat him. I get on really well with Les and he is like a brother to me.”
Key department manager, Les says: “Tim is a hugely popular member of the team and recently joined us for a social event (dog racing) where he placed some astute bets and enjoyed a few beers – we all had a great time. I hope that more and more employers recognise the benefits of employing someone with a learning disability and ensure that they pay a fair wage to those staff.”
Timothy’s goals of greater independence include the hope of living independently sometime soon. His ambition to shape his own destiny is wonderful to see. His paid work at Timpson House will support his hopes and aspirations to achieve this.
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To find out more about WorkFit and how we support people with Down’s syndrome to access meaningful work opportunities that can benefit the rest of their lives, please contact the team on 0333 12 12 300 or email us on dsworkfit@downs-syndrome.org.uk
For more information visit the WorkFit website https://www.dsworkfit.org.uk/
