Fair’s fair for disabled jobseekers

When we say that Wiltshire is a county where everybody matters, it’s more than just words.

Last week’s EmployAbility Fair held in the Atrium at County Hall was a good example of this.

The event puts disabled jobseekers in touch with recruiters searching for staff, and the results it delivers for individuals, for businesses and for our economy is truly heart-warming.

The first fair was held last year and was such a success, it returned last week. It was clear from the numbers crowding the Atrium that it has already become a popular fixture in the recruitment calendar.

It was wonderful to see so many people – many of whom had been on the jobs market for a long time – talking to employers, chatting about opportunities, and accepting offers of work right there on the spot. It showed what we are about – creating chances for people to thrive, prosper and build a future in our county – especially residents who may have been excluded from opportunities in the past.

From a personal point of view I understand just how much getting a break into work can mean. As some of you may know my own daughter is disabled. She has always worked and strived for the independence that working and earning brings. But as we all know, the early days in a new job aren’t always that easy. There are often issues to overcome. For some people these include accessibility.  What matters is that employers see beyond the disability, and are ready to welcome new recruits regardless of any stigma which in the past might have been attached to disability.

It was good to talk to so many visitors on the day as well as guests including Dr Andrew Murrison MP, and a couple of comments really made me think.

The first was by Maurice Menghini from our co-hosts JobCentre Plus.

“There is a job out there for everyone,” he said.

And in Wiltshire, where we are blessed with largely full employment and employers urgently seeking staff – that is true.

The second was by Wendy Wood, from The Order of St John Care Trust, who was seeking staff for 19 residential homes all over Wiltshire.

“Good employers need good employees and disability doesn’t affect that,” she said.

It summed up a brilliant day which made a huge difference to many people’s lives.

My thanks go to everyone who worked so hard to stage one of the most important, most effective, and most beneficial dates in our council calendar.

I’m looking forward to next year’s event already and to hearing how successful the new recruits have been…

Jane