Job Carving really works for everyone!


Laura Shuttleworth • Apr 11, 2022

Here’s a great example of how job carving can enable a person who has a disability to secure long sought after employment, and also meet the business needs of an employer who is struggling to recruit motivated, caring staff.  Read about Emma and Care UK’s story. 

Emma was born with learning disabilities and also has some very mild mobility issues. She struggles sometimes to know how to deal with certain situations and as a consequence experienced anxiety in her previous job. It was vital her Employment Coach got to know her well so we could match her with a job that would set her up to succeed but at the same time one that would meet the needs of an Employer.  We learnt about Emma’s skills and experience, aspirations and difficulties and also helped her put together a CV.   Emma also attended our online Employment Preparation Course to prepare her for the world of work and give her the confidence to get back into paid employment.


At Ways into Work, we have a team of skilled Employment Coaches who work one on one with our job seekers so they can create a person centred plan to support them in their employment journey.  And we also work with over 200 employers to help them find talented and hugely motivated employees who will meet the needs of their business. 


Emma was keen to work with the elderly. She has a nurturing personality and is calm and very caring so we soon realised given her aspirations to work with people with dementia, that we should target a job in a care home.  Her Employment Coach began to contact care homes with regular vacancies to discuss the type of work Emma could do and what she could bring to the organisation. We worked alongside Care UK’s recruitment team to create a role that would suit Emma but one that would meet the needs of their business – modifying slightly their typical Care Assistant role into a Resident Companion role which would work well for the centre and their residents. A supported interview was set up with Care UK’s Regional Manager and with some coaching, Emma was able to demonstrate her motivation to work, and her skills – and this led to her being offered the job! 



Everyone’s a winner! Emma has been working with Care UK now for many months - she loves her job and Care UK have been able to see the benefits of having Emma in this newly created role.  Ongoing support is being offered by Ways into Work on and off site with e-learning and support for her colleagues. We are thrilled to see Emma thrive in confidence through her new employment.  



We are proud to have made such a positive difference to Emma’s career journey and in supporting Care UK’s adaptation to their recruitment process. Thank you to them, for thinking outside the box. Together we are Changing Lives, One Job at a Time. 

If you are currently looking for employment you can visit our Job Seekers Page to see how you could benefit from working alongside our dedicated Employment Coaches. Or if you are an employer visit our Employers Page to see how we can help you think outside the box to employ talented employees for various positions to meet your company recruitment needs.


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When Rajpal first became a client at Ways into Work he had been struggling with looking for work and a good job match. Rajpal has a mild learning disability and mental health issues and had not worked for over ten years except to help now and then at his family’s supermarket. He had not worked for such a long time as he was not well enough to think about his career and life choices. When he joined Ways into Work as a Job Seeker and was assigned an Employment Coach who spent a long time getting to know him, doing a vocational profile and job matching. It was decided that the best first step was for Rajpal was to experience what different jobs and roles are like and what they would entail. Ways into Work then supported him in applying for various roles in retail and did mock interviews where he gained lots of practice. He secured a few interviews but was not offered any of the jobs. Rajpal had begun taking an interest in going to the gym and informed his Employment Coach that he would like a job at the gym. After approaching the employer, his Employment Coach secured an interview for him. He was so happy that at the interview when asked why he would like to work at the gym, he pulled out of his pocket a handwritten lengthy list of reasons why he liked the job and the skills he had to offer. This showed the employer his passion for the job and Rajpal was offered the job, working 3 days (24 hours) a week to begin with. As the leisure centre was 7 miles away, his Employment Coach supported him with applying for Access To Work transport to and from work. They also taught him and his parents how to claim his monthly ATW transport and supported him with the change of circumstances in his benefits. When Rajpal first started to work at the Leisure Centre he solely worked in the gym and his role included ensuring that all the equipment was working and clean, as well as dealing with lots of customer enquiries. This was quite a challenge for Rajpal to begin with, as it was a large premise and no two days were the same. With Job Coaching , Ways into Work was able to support Rajpal by helping to create a routine for him and also discussing with his supervisor a way of building new tasks into his days as the weeks progressed.
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