Local employers are being urged by Macclesfield MP, David Rutley, to become ‘Disability Confident’ at an event being held at Macclesfield College on Friday 13th April.
The Disability Confident scheme, launched by the Government in 2013, encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people, helping them to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations, by providing a range of practical advice and support. Disabled people currently make up almost twenty per cent of the working age population, but their skills and talents are too often under-represented in the wider workforce.
A number of Macclesfield employers, including East Cheshire NHS Trust, Peaks and Plains Housing Trust, and East Cheshire Citizens Advice Bureau, are already registered as Disability Confident. The event, to which over 120 local employers of different sizes and sectors will be invited, will encourage yet more local employers to realise the benefits of more inclusive employment practices. Nationally, over 4,000 employers have signed up to the scheme, including household names such as Sainsbury’s, AXA, and Royal Mail.
The event is being actively supported by Macclesfield Jobcentre Plus. As David has learned from his regular meetings with the Jobcentre Plus team, there is clear potential for more local employers to provide more employment opportunities for disabled people in and around the town. Any local employers who would like to take part in Macclesfield’s Disability Confident event should get in touch with David on david.rutley.mp@parliament.uk
David said, “The event I am helping to organise with Macclesfield Jobcentre Plus aims to support more local employers to become Disability Confident and promote opportunities for more local disabled people to fulfil their potential. I am encouraging as many local employers as possible to attend and actively learn more about the benefits of having a more inclusive workplace.”