Mencap Training Academy | Mencap

Discover U is a charity working to help adults with learning disabilities into employment. We believe that everybody who wants to should have the opportunity to work and we support them to do that with a wide range of programmes and opportunities. Our aim is to provide work related experience to adults with some level of learning disability or others similarly disadvantaged because of physical disability.

We provide a day service with a difference!

We offer work related activities and opportunities to people with moderate learning disabilities, to those with mental health needs and to people who have sensory and physical disabilities.

We are a UNIQUE provision providing differentiation when teaching life skills, social skills, work ethics and a chance for you to learn vocational skills that help personalise your journey with us in a therapeutic environment.

Archery, Carpentry, Arts and Crafts, Metalwork, Woodland Activities, Blacksmith Forge

MyPlus Students’ Club advice and resources provides you with essential advice, templates, FAQs and more to support you through the recruitment process, and into the workplace, enabling you to realise your career potential.

What To Do is an award-winning online inclusive activities website, which aims to provide extraordinary experiences for people who access care and support. It is co-produced with people supported by Community Integrated Care, to create sessions that are meaningful, high quality and speak to the interests and aspirations of our audience.

Over the next three years, we will continue to build on our core expertise in education and employability while engaging more than ever before in the other areas that are essential for autistic children and young people to lead a fulfilling life, such as having supportive families and relationships, good health and wellbeing and being active citizens in their communities. 

We are a charity based in Hereford, but we work nationally. We offer mentoring, transformational events, online forums and parent support. We are the leading mentoring organisation in the UK for visually impaired young people.

We can also link to other charities and organisations who can help you access the support you need.

This support can also include help with an Access to Work application and advice for employers to manage the Access to Work process.

We can refer you to other RNIB services including confidence building courses, and support with assistive technology, and can signpost you to services in your local area.

If you'd like to know more, please contact the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or helpline@rnib.org.uk.

In a recent survey of 10,000 students, we found that 66% of young people said their family have the greatest influence on their decision about which direction to take after school.

As a parent, carer or family member, the information you have can help a student make the right choice for them.

Start here, postcode search for real, live vacancies.

outdoor volunteering, 01743 255957 Simon Brown

From various locations in Shropshire, supported voluntary work in teams.

Shropshire Wild Team volunteers are involved in landscape management projects as well as other outdoor activities. You don’t need to have any experience and there’s no requirement to be physically fit. We especially welcome people with disabilities or who are receiving support from health or care services.

Shelforce is a supported business dedicated to the assistance of disabled people looking to enter employment. Currently there are around 80 people employed at its PVC-u windows and doors factory in Erdington.

The business runs like any other: it has to see the products it produces to survive. Where Shelforce differs is that it actively recruits and supports severely disabled people, but within Shelforce’s own factory, and other businesses in the wider community.

Shelforce invests heavily in training and development. Over 90% of the employees have or are working towards an NVQ, an opportunity also offered to those employees that Shelforce supports in external businesses. The company’s Centre of Excellence training facility offers training in the installation and survey of windows and doors to disadvantaged groups looking to break into the building industry.

Contact Shelforce

• Telephone: 0121 603 5262

• Email: shelforce@birmingham.gov.uk

Our website is designed to guide you through our three core areas of support:

• Employability Support

• Education & Training

• Social Care Services

We are a Midlands-based social enterprise that provides young people who have faced barriers into employment with training and job opportunities – all whilst serving up stellar coffee, freshly prepared sandwiches, and tasty treats. 100  % of our profits are directly reinvested into Evolve and other community projects, so you can be sure that your morning coffee is truly making a difference.

The Hive cafés are at both our Erdington and Selly Park Sites.  The main responsibilities of this role include taking and fulfilling orders, managing cash and card payments and cleaning/tidying up the café areas.  With time we plan to dispense a wider range of products and food.

Here you can find courses and one-off sessions in traditional arts and crafts for individuals and groups.

Events

You can find a range of events that we either attend or promote, which will be of interest to you!

Cafe

Here, you can find a range of tasty, freshly prepared food including, Soups, Cakes, Paninis, Teas & Coffees…

We continue to empower adults by bringing great teaching to local communities across England and Scotland, reaching tens of thousands of learners each year.  

This could be in a local venue near you, or online via your computer, tablet or phone.

It’s the small class sizes and the highly tailored ways that we teach that makes the difference.

We have got a course for everyone, so why not join us today?

All of our employment support services are designed for working-age disabled people. The information below can help you find the right programme.

Support to Work

Support to Work is for you, if you:

• are looking for paid work

• live in the United Kingdom

Support to Work programme information

Learn at Scope: eLearning platform

Learn at Scope is for you, if you

• are looking for support writing CVs, supporting statements and improving interview skills

• are looking for an interactive online learning experience

• want to learn at your own pace and have flexibility

A movement for:

• Neurodivergent individuals to live happy, independent lives.

• A more accepting culture.

• Greater inclusivity in the workplace.

• A community that is more inclusive for neurodivergent individuals.​

We are contacting the SEN and careers staff at local schools raising awareness of Halesowen Colleges new and innovative Elevate Courses, offering flexible pathways for 16–19-year-olds who have experienced disrupted education, need additional support, or have not yet met entry requirements for their chosen course.

Back on Track Course – Full-Time
Which is for school leavers who did not achieve the GCSEs needed for their next step.

Personal Growth and Wellbeing Courses (In-person & Online)
Which is a full-time programme offering Level 1 and Level 2 Extended Certificates, designed to support students in building confidence and transitioning successfully into further education.

There is a flyer attached, which has more information about the programmes and please feel free to share this with parents, and information can also be found on our website via the web page below, which comes under the umbrella of Elective Home Education (EHE) but just to make you aware, the programmes are not just for EHE students.

acting

film making

make up, hair and sfx

theatre making

Into Higher Education is a guide for anyone with a health condition, learning difficulty or disability thinking about studying in higher education starting September 2026.

This guide aims to answer common questions such as whether colleges or universities will be accessible, how to choose a course and what support will be available. It also covers the student finance system and has up-to date information on tuition fees, repayment methods and the support that will be in place for 2026 entry.

A stepping stone to support anyone who is 16-24 with an EHCP. Supports the individual before progressing onto our Pre-Apprenticeship Programme.

Available at our centres in Brierley Hill, Walsall, Telford and Derby, contact us today.Juniper pre apprenticeship

Gain Maths & English Skills with Practical Work Experience