Looking for help apprenticeship for your adult with Asperger. — Scope | Disability forum
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Looking for help apprenticeship for your adult with Asperger.

GabiG
GabiG Community member Posts: 2 Listener
edited July 2019 in Work and employment
Hi, 
I have a 23 years old son who has Asperger syndrome.  
It's the first time that I join a community asking for help, after so many years....

I'm looking for guidance to find an apprenticeship or a program that can cater to Asperger syndrome in the car industry (car maintenance, car fixing).  My son is a car lover,  he can drive and usually goes to car events.   We have tried to apply for apprenticeships that are published, all unsuccessfully because they are looking for many previous qualifications.

Do you know of an organization that can help to find apprenticeships for young adults with Asperger?

Many thanks!

Comments

  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @GabiG and a warm welcome to the community! I'm sorry your son has been unsuccessful so far with finding employment. Scope have a programme called Support to Work which offers advice to disabled people when applying for jobs. This employment support can be online, by telephone, Skype or text.

    Is this something that would be beneficial for him?
    Scope

  • GabiG
    GabiG Community member Posts: 2 Listener
    Thank you Chloe!  I'll have a look to that link, thank you.   It will be good to follow the plan mentioned there.   The idea is to find an apprenticeship where he can see the result of his work.   

    If you happen to know of any of those possibilities, just let me know! thanks!

  • April2018mom
    April2018mom Posts: 2,882 Disability Gamechanger
    What does he like to do? Is he in education at the moment or not? Have you tried Surrey Choices? They support disabled individuals with the job process too. Look on their website, email or call them for information. 
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    No problem @GabiG! If I think of anything else I will let you know. Please do let us know how you get on with support to work :)
    Scope

  • Geoark
    Geoark Community member Posts: 1,463 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello @GabiG and welcome to the community.

    Apprenticeships come with different levels of study and employers need to be reasonably certain that those they take on are likely to be able to pass the course they are on. Having Asperger's does not exclude people in itself if their level of education is sufficient. So understanding what level the studying element is one of the first things to understand. Level 2 is equivalent to GCSE, Level 3 A' levels, level 4 HNC, level 5 HND and level 6 is equivalent to a degree. 

    You may also want to consider how the study element is delivered, is it classroom or distance learning and which would suit your son most. 

    Having looked I have noticed that some of the adverts do not mention the level, while one I found mentioned that they were looking for someone who had recently completed a level 2 or 3 car/vehicle maintenance course. Depending on your son's education level this offers another route. 

    Finding a local college or training company offering this sort of course and going in and talking to them. It may be possible for him to study the course without paying if there is government funding or the college decides to offer a bursary or waive the cost for him. It would also be a good opportunity to find what they are looking for in regards to other qualifications. No your son will not be earning at the time through this route, but can help to lower the barriers he is currently facing. They also usually have good links with local employers and could open doors that may not normally present themselves for your son. 

    Another option is finding a training position rather than an apprenticeship. As they usually pay more than an apprenticeship they usually get a lot of applications and with car maintenance and your son is likely to be competing with young people who have been working on cars for a few years.

    I would normally also recommend some volunteering experience if it is available locally. However in term of maintenance I would expect some experience to be required, but you never know. Other voluntary opportunities may be available check out the one at Chestnut Children's Hospice https://www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering/vehicle-upkeep-volunteers/ but not sure how long this will be up. While not quite what you are looking for this type of volunteering would provide your son with a reference, some relevant training and hopefully certificates that would make him more attractive to employers.

    I appreciate that you may want to see your son earning some money and some of these options are not ideal, but if you have a goal and a plan on  how to reach it by dealing with some of the issues holding you back it is better than trying the same thing over and over and not getting anywhere. It took me 10 years to get back into work, and five years to go from earning minimum wage to £30,000+ within five years. I am not going to say if I can do it so can others, I was very fortunate to have opportunities not available to most people, people around me who believed in me and encouraged me, and a post in LinkedIn about my frustrations trying to get work in my current field and a stranger flagging up a scheme that could help. While I am grateful for all those things in the end it was because I chose take up those opportunities and often putting myself outside of my comfort zone that it worked for me. Prior to my disability the best I had done was to earn £21,000 a year working nights in a warehouse on my own. My point is short term sacrifice can pay in the long term, especially if working to a plan. The last bit can be important because there can be a lot of frustration and set backs along the way and having a clear goal can help with maintaining the effort and enthusiasm.

    As an individual I stood alone.
    As a member of a group I did things.
    As part of a community I helped to create change!

  • Adrian_Scope
    Adrian_Scope Posts: 10,821 Scope online community team
    Welcome to the community @GabiG. Please let us know how your son gets on. :smile:
    Community Manager
    Scope

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