Portland Charity Welcomes Minister to Disability Employment Conference

Portland Charity hosted an Employability Conference on Thursday which focused on inclusive employment. The event showcased Portland Pathways, their award-winning employment programme, that has supported hundreds of disabled people into work since 2017, and highlighted how inclusive recruitment can benefit both employers and local communities.

Supported by a range of inspirational guest speakers, the conference also included a keynote speech from The Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Social Security and Disability.

Other speakers included The National Trust, Steve Yemm MP for Mansfield, East Midlands Chamber, Policy Connect, the Karten Network and Glyn Hughes – former Portland Pathways Client.

Mark Dale, CEO of Portland Charity said

“Inclusive employment is at the heart of our vision. With the disability employment gap standing at a staggering 28% and disabled people much more likely to experience poverty, the need for action has never been greater.

“We were delighted to welcome over 80 guests from businesses across the East Midlands who all share our goal of creating a more inclusive workforce, and we are grateful to the wonderful speakers who helped us to deliver this inspirational conference.

“We were honoured to receive the support of Sir Stephen Timms, to help strengthen the message about the many benefits of creating a diverse workforce, and we’re excited to be working with our speakers, delegates and partners to help drive change.

“I would also like to invite any businesses who are interested in finding out more about becoming more inclusive, to contact our Portland Pathways team, who can help answer your questions, find suitable candidates for your roles and signpost you to additional support and funding.”

Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said

“Local initiatives like Portland Pathways are opening up opportunities across their communities for disabled people and are a great example of what is possible when the right, tailored support is provided.

“We are going further to spread opportunity to disabled people in every community across Britain. This includes our Connect to Work and WorkWell programmes offering localised support which will help hundreds of thousands of people to enter and remain in employment – backed by over £3.5 billion by the end of the decade.”

Portland Pathways provides tailored mental health and employment support for people with disabilities and mental health challenges. They work closely with local businesses to support their recruitment needs and since launching in 2017, have had over 3,000 referrals to the service, supported 565 people into work, enrolled 1,500 people onto its Rebuilding Mental Health courses and delivered nearly 3,500 counselling sessions.