Purpose: To support disabled people into paid employment resulting in the right person in the right job.

Progress is a not for profit Limited Company with Charitable status.  Formed from a Local Authority service in 2001 and began trading as Progress Recruitment in 2002.

Deborah Parker founded the service in 1989.  She adopted whole-heartedly the principles of Supported Employment and Systematic Instruction and started to develop a service that was successful for people who were seen as furthest from the labour market.

Progress has continued to deliver effective employment support services enabling disabled people and their employers to benefit from working together.

Employment support – or supported employment, as developed in the USA, is a well-evidenced way of helping people with disabilities to access and retain open employment.  The key aspects of this approach are: -

1. Discovery of the key skills and preference of the jobs seeker.
2. Understanding of the needs and preference of the employer and the demands of the role.
3. Matching person and job.
4. At and around work support to ensure the person learns the job and is able to make full use of all the natural support present in the work place.
5. Fading support when the employer and new employee no longer require it.

All Progress staff are trained in the supported employment model, teaching technologies and most importantly the values that underpin this approach.

This is a holistic approach to job success and includes support to reconcile benefits and earnings through linking with expert welfare rights advice. Support is available to enable people to learn to travel to and from work and anything else, work related, that will assist the person to be successful in his/her career.

Equally, support is there for the employer to achieve his / her goal of a good appointment of someone who wants to work and is able to add value to the organisation and contribute to business success.