The 95% Challenge: Building an Inclusive Workforce

Despite decades of policy commitments, 95% of adults with learning disabilities in the UK remain out of work. Many employers want to hire inclusively but hold back over concerns about risk, capability, and ongoing support.

This session introduces Worklife, a structured pathway that moves individuals from community-based training into real, paid employment, and explains how supported employment removes that risk for employers. Martin Sutton will cover:

- Why employers hesitate to hire adults with learning disabilities, and how Worklife's transitional support model addresses that directly
- The Community Support Bank: a subscription model where businesses fund supported placements through monthly contributions, without taking on employment risk themselves
- How a Community Support Bank subscription supports employer CSR and social value credentials
- What happens if a placement doesn't work out: individuals return to Worklife to continue building skills, rather than the business bearing that risk
- An invitation to join an emerging steering group of businesses shaping this model

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how to become an inclusive employer without the usual barriers, and how to get involved from the ground up.