Employment, apprenticeships and volunteering

An apprenticeship is a job with training. They are available for a wide range of job roles across many different industries. Almost any type of apprenticeship can be made accessible and support is available while you learn and work.

Disability Rights UK have produced a guide for disabled people, parents and key advisors on how to apply for apprenticeships in England. It answers questions such as how to find an apprenticeship, whether the training will be accessible and what support is available in the workplace.

Read the Into Apprenticeships Guide from Disability RIghts.

Shaw Trust  offer apprenticeships to young people and can support you to find the apprenticeship that’s right for you.

Shaw Trust

Shaw Trust can support you to find work experience and supported internships that are right for you.

Havering Adult College - supported internships

go to the website for more information Havering Adult College

Havering Works is an innovative employment and skills service, provided by London Borough of Havering and part-funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

It offers free support for local unemployed residents who are looking to get back to work, training or explore future career opportunities.

Our services include:

• confidential one-to-one assessment of individual skills and training development needs
• guidance from a qualified personal adviser to help individuals develop an Action Plan with steps towards achieving goals
• job coaching and mentoring
• information on specialist agencies and other provision that offers additional and/or more specialist support
• matching transferable skills and experience to job vacancies
• job search support (CV review, help with job applications and interview preparation)

If you are a Havering resident seeking support

We can offer help if you are:

• unemployed and looking to start work or training
• interested in talking through career options whether you are just starting out in or returning to the job market

Disability Rights UK have produced a factsheet on careers and work for disabled people. It includes information about your rights, finding disability-friendly employers, applications and job interviews and self-employment.

 Read the factsheet on Careers and Work for disabled people.

If you’re disabled or have a physical or mental health condition that makes it hard for you to do your job, you can apply for Access to Work to get extra help.

An Access to Work grant can pay for:

• special equipment, adaptations or support worker services to help you do things like answer the phone or go to meetings
• help getting to and from work

 The money doesn’t have to be paid back and won’t affect your other benefits.

Who is eligible?

 To get help from Access to Work you must:

• have a disability or health condition (physical or mental) that makes it hard for you to do parts of your job or get to and from work
• be 16 or over

 You also need to have a paid job, or be about to start or return to one. A paid job could include:

• self-employment
• an apprenticeship
• a work trial or work experience
• an internship 

You can’t get a grant for voluntary work.

You might not get a grant if you already get certain benefits.

How to apply

Apply for the Access to Work Fund here.

Work Choice can help you get and keep a job if you’re disabled and find it hard to work. The type of support you get depends on the help you need. This is different for everyone but can include:

• training and developing your skills
• building your confidence
• interview coaching

To qualify for support, you must:

• live in England or Wales
• be of working age
• need support in work as well as to find a job
• be able to work at least 16 hours a week after Work Entry Support
• have a recognised disability that means you find it hard to get or keep a job
• need specialist help that you can’t get from other government programmes or schemes - for example workplace adjustments, suppliers working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus or Access to Work

To join Work Choice, speak to a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA) or Work Coach at your local Jobcentre Plus before the deadline.

Specialist Employability Support is intensive support and training to help you into work if you’re disabled. 

You can apply if other employment programmes and schemes, such as Access to Work, are not suitable for you.

 To apply you must:

• have a disability or health condition that affects the work you can do
• be unemployed
• be between school leaving age and State Pension age
• be a UK resident

You’ll usually get Specialist Employability Support for 12 months.

To apply, contact your local Jobcentre Plus.

All children and young people should feel positive about their future. We’re here to help them build their confidence, increase independence and realise their goals.

Staying in education, training or work is vital for a young person to improve their life chances. Our careers advice, traineeships, apprenticeships, short courses and academies build the key skills and experience needed for the world of work. A range of tailored activities such as resilience coaching and cognitive behavioural mentoring help those who are vulnerable increase their confidence and self-belief.

Working in partnership with local authorities, we support thousands of children and young people to better navigate turning points in their lives.

Shaw trust

Volunteering is a great way to help your local community in Havering.

Whether you want to volunteer or are an organisation wanting to recruit volunteers you can do so in the following ways.

The Havering Volunteer Centre (Opens in new tab) provides support to the volunteer community who volunteer each year across Havering.

Sign up to volunteer on the Havering Volunteer Centre website

If you like the outdoors

• Friends of Parks groups
• Rainham Marshes - Royal Society of Protection of Birds (Opens in new tab)
• Thames Chase (Opens in new tab)
• Litter picking

If you prefer to be indoors

• Brookside Theatre (Opens in new tab)
• Queen's Theatre (Opens in new tab)
• Samaritans (Opens in new tab)
• Sycamore Trust (Opens in new tab)

London Borough of Havering Opportunities

• Library volunteers (Opens in new tab)
• Become a school governor (Opens in new tab)
• Housing volunteers

Volunteering Matters can also provide volunteering opportunities if you have additiional needs