Guernsey Employment Trust (GET) is a charity that has been operating for almost five years with the aim of supporting disabled and disadvantaged people to prepare for, find and maintain employment in Guernsey.
Before GET was established Supported Employment was provided by Interwork as part of the States of Guernsey Adult Disability Service.
The transformation and transition from a States run service to an employment service commissioned to the third sector has been a huge success with GET often being cited as a model of good practice for future commissioning. GET’s services are more accessible and available to a wider and more diverse group of disabled and disadvantaged people resulting in a greater number of people being supported to prepare for, find and maintain employment, whilst costing the States of Guernsey, and ultimately the tax payer, substantially less financially.
GET’s Chief Executive Nikki Ioannou-Droushiotis said: “Reaching our 350th paid outcome is a significant milestone for us which the previous States run service would’ve taken 20 years to achieve. But it’s not all about hard numbers. Although our main aim is to support disabled people with their employment the benefits of our support are often far reaching providing a positive impact on welfare benefits, less reliance on other statutory services and an increase in self-esteem, confidence and motivation to name but a few.
“A large part of our success is down to our approach of working closely with business to negotiate and support work opportunities for our clients. We believe that GET has two customers; disabled people and business, and that it is imperative to understand the needs of both to get the right match.”
GET is committed to supporting the business community to develop more inclusive practices. They have produced a Good Practice Guide and an Employers’ Disability Charter, and bring these to life in free interactive training sessions. 35 organisations have signed up to the Charter so far, demonstrating their commitment and as a result GET has witnessed noticeable improvements in workplace practices and attitudes. GETs success can also be measured by the huge impact that they have made to so many people’s lives. To those who have found work through GET’s passion to help, as well as to the wider community due to the well documented benefits that diversity and inclusion can bring.
Guernsey Electricity Head of HR Chris Watkin said: “The Guernsey Employment Trust is invaluable to our local community in creating job opportunities for disabled people and assisting candidates to prepare for, find, and maintain work in Guernsey. The charity also provides employers with an incredible pool of talent which we have experienced first-hand.
At Guernsey Electricity we promote a workplace that actively seeks to include, welcome and value unique contributions from all people. We are proud to be a member of the Employers’ Disability Charter and would encourage other local businesses to sign up or find out more.”
