32 West Cumbria Opportunities & Challenges 2025 INCLUSION Access to employment, training and educational opportunities can also be difficult for those with additional needs, including individuals who are neurodiverse, have physical or learning disabilities or have significant mental health challenges. Workplace practices, such as inflexible hours or infrequent breaks, physical access requirements, and even co-worker attitudes can all contribute to individuals feeling excluded, misunderstood and devalued. National estimates suggest that between October and December 2023, 10.21 million (24%) of people of working age (16 to 64) reported that they were disabled, an increase of 459,000 from the previous year. While the employment rate for people with no disabilities stood at 82%, the employment rate for people with disabilities stood at 54.2%.38 Similarly, people with only one health condition had an employment rate of 65%, but this fell to 29% for those people with five or more health conditions.39 Further analysis reveals differences in the employment rates for different categories of needs. For example, only 3 in 10 autistic people of working age are in employment.40 Care leavers, many of whom have special educational needs are over ten times more likely than their peers to not be in education, employment or training in their 21st year.41 In the year ending March 2023, 71% of care experienced young people in Cumbria, aged between 17-18 were in education, employment, or training compared to the 66% national average. However, by the age of 19-21 there were higher rates of those not in education, employment, or training (42%), compared to the national figure (38%), showing a considerable drop in engagement between 18 and 21 years of age.42 More positively, the number of disabled people in employment nationally has increased by 2.5 million from 3m in April to June 2014 to 5.5 million in April to June 2024 (an increase of 83%). Although rates of growth were slower during the Covid 19 pandemic, the prepandemic trend has continued with 1.4 million more disabled people in employment in April to June 2024 than there were in the same quarter in 2019.43 The VCSE has played, and continues to play an important role in West Cumbria, in raising awareness of the strengths that diversity in the workplace can bring.44 Organisations such as All Together Cumbria45 and West House46 alongside initiatives such as Goodlives47 and Brighter Futures,48 provide training, work placements and mentoring opportunities that facilitate access to skills and employment opportunities, adding significant value to local employers and the lives of individuals. 35 Apprenticeship Strategy: Cumbria Local Economic Partnership, 2023. https://www.thecumbrialep.co.uk/create-the-future-workforce/ 36 Labour Market Briefing July 2024: Cumbria Intelligence Observatory, May 2025. 37 Formerly Copeland Work and Skills Partnership. The partnership includes a wide range of organisations including Cumberland Council officers, VCSE providers, Cumbria Tourism, the NHS, Department of Work and Pensions, Centre for Leadership performance and local education providers. During 2022, a review of the Copeland Skills and Enterprise Group and their programme ‘Building Momentum’ was undertaken by the Centre for Economic Development (CRED) at the University of Cumbria, 396 individuals engaged with the Programme and 72 people received offers of employment, with an estimated cost per job of £6,385. The review also pointed to the high degree of interaction with other members of the group to reduce worklessness and economic inactivity, which increased in Copeland and Cumbria as a whole (relative to the Northwest) during the pandemic. 38 The ‘disability employment gap’ is the difference in the employment rate of disabled people and people who are not disabled. In the last quarter of 2023, the gap was 27.9 percentage points. Comparing data from October to December 2014 and October to December 2023, the disability employment gap reduced by 5.9 percentage points due to the employment rate for disabled people rising than the employment rate for people who are not disabled, https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp7540/#:~:text=There%20were%205.53%20million%20working,are%20not%20disabled%20was%2082.0%25 39 https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7540/#:~:text=There%20were%205.53%20million%20working,are%20not%20disabled%20was%2082.0%25 40 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-buckland-review-of-autism-employment-report-and-recommendations/the-buckland-review-of-autism-employment-report-andrecommendations 41 https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/rees-centre/news/care-leavers-considerably-less-likely-to-be-in-education-employment-or-training-analysis-shows/ 42 Cumbria Community Foundation, https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/2024/04/18/supporting-care-leavers-in-cumbria/ 43 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024 44 What is “normal”, anyway? De-medicalising Mental Health and Neurodiversity; Cumberland Public Health Annual Report 2023/24: Cumberland Council, 2024. 45 All Together Cumbria is an innovative social enterprise owned by Morgan Sindall Group which brings together several organisations, including private sector companies such as Amentum and Balfour Beatty, to help share information, run workshops and practical activities, and provide workplace experience to support programme learning. One of their programme has a focus on those with neurodiverse conditions https://businesscrack.co.uk/2024/01/16/new-programme-to-help-people-with-neurodiverse-conditions-access-employment/ 46 West House is a care and support provider operating across Cumbria. Part of their portfolio includes five social enterprises which provide training opportunities for people with learning difficulties, including cafes in Workington, Whitehaven and Keswick, a ‘Grow West’ garden centre in Allerby, and The Pottery in Workington https://westhouse.org.uk/services/employment-and-training/ 47 Goodlives in Cleator Moor operates a Skills4U initiatives that uses woodcraft and upcycling to engage people with significant mental health and physical health challenges. https://wcmhp.org.uk/ova_sev/goodlives/ 48 Brighter Futures operates across West Cumbria and Barrow and supports young people leaving care with work experience placements, life skills development and mentoring support https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/2024/07/11/315000-programme-to-help-young-people-leaving-care/ Owl Blue Owl Blue, based in Maryport, promotes the understanding of neurodiversity, with a focus on autism and ADHD. The charity collaborates with a diverse range of businesses across Cumbria to establish inclusive workplaces and support neurodiverse employees and a consortium of nuclear supply chain companies. Training is provided to employers to develop an understanding of neurodiversity, elucidate the process of making reasonable adjustments, and build awareness of the numerous positive impacts that neurodiverse employees have on workplaces. Additionally, employees are offered individualised support to enhance their understanding of neurodiversity and to assist them in realising their full potential. Owl Blue currently works with The Cumberland Building Society and collaborated in producing their neurodiversity toolkit, which received high commendation at the 2024 British HR Awards. Furthermore, Owl Blue engages with the wider community, including families and individuals, to foster understanding of neurodiverse conditions and their management. This initiative aims to enhance comprehension of neurodiversity, promote acceptance and understanding, and generate fulfilled lifestyles. This information is delivered by neurodiverse specialists during workshops and educational talks. Owl Blue works with educational establishments, promoting holistic understanding and the importance of individual adjustments to enhance learning and successful education. Other workshops include those for siblings, explaining why parenting approaches may differ when one child has a neurodiverse need. CASE STUDY ...employees are offered individualised support to enhance their understanding of neurodiversity and to assist them in realising their full potential. 33
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