Employers At Forward 4 Work we understand that employment and work have more benefits than just financial gain. In our 20 years of working with employers we have seen many individuals benefit from the responsibility, sense of pride, respect and social interactions that work brings to people. Through experience Forward 4 work has built a range of services to help support businesses both employ people with disabilities and help our clients on their path towards employment. As all of the training sections at Forward 4 Work are based around realistic work environments, our clients understand the skills needed in employment. Working hand in hand with local businesses and communities gives clients a realistic view of the world of work. While still training many of our clients get an opportunity to test themselves in the workplace by attending work placements. These placements are fully monitored by our team of trained specialist Employment Development Officers who are on hand to advise both the employer and client. We understand that there are likely to be some concerns by new employers but with the on-going support offered, these are quickly resolved. Once clients are ready to start looking for employment, they receive full support from the Employment Development Officers who will negotiate with employers, look at organising equipment, support and finances to support both the client and the employer. This commitment to support you as an employer doesn’t disappear after the first week, year or when people leave but is an ongoing commitment to help employers diversify their workforce, understand disability legislation and use our knowledge of best practice. We realise that throughout this process we have two customers to satisfy so that when you as the employer want another member of staff, your first thought is the excellent service you received from Forward 4 Work. And all of this with no recruitment cost to your business! We hope the experiences of the employers below will encourage you to get in touch for all your staffing needs:   " I write to comment on the service provided by the Employment Development Officers. In the past year two officers have enabled an employee to successfully return to their role at work. They have provided ongoing support, mentorship and external access to information to assist in factors that have contributed to an effective cascade. Their input has been valued and was a very positive factor in the team rapport between the employer and the employee." ' My experiences of setting up work experience for people with disabilities have been really positive. All the candidates that have been put forward are enthusiastic and keen to get started and have the required skills for the tasks I wanted them to complete. Eventually I was able to offer one of the candidates a 12-month contract and this has been very successful for both the candidate and myself. I have been able to fill a 12 month vacancy after giving several candidates a chance to have some work experience and having chosen my preferred candidate have been able to provide paid employment in an office environment which I am sure will have provided invaluable experience. During the period support workers have been available to make sure everything thing is running smoothly and to ensure that the expectations of both their client and myself are met. I would certainly recommend this approach to other employers.' ‘I’d like to say a big thank you for the help and support I’ve got from the team over the past year, I’ll admit when I was approached there was a sense of fear about the process and that I was going to be pushed into something but the support your staff gave us was wonderful!’