Mayor announces further funding for specialist employability service across South Yorkshire

Aspire to Be, a personalised employability and work simulation programme, offers tailored, sector-specific training for those aged 19-60 with SEND. It aims to build on personal skills and provide opportunities to increase confidence, self-esteem, self-development, and improve health and wellbeing as individuals are supported to achieve employment in various sectors including hospitality, catering, warehousing, retail, health and social care.

The innovative service, which received an initial £465,000 from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) in 2023 to develop its provision, is for adults from across South Yorkshire who are Deaf/hearing impaired, neuro diverse or those who have any other communication difficulty helping to make a valuable difference to their lives by developing their skills and supporting them into work.

So, far the service has primarily worked with people in Doncaster supporting 200 people and with more than 50% of them going onto secure permanent employment.

The new round of funding from SYMCA, which will last until 31 July 2027, will allow the service to build on its success in Doncaster and expand into other areas of South Yorkshire helping to drive up rates of employment across the region.

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard, who recently paid a visit to the service to see at firsthand the work taking place, said:

“In South Yorkshire everyone should have the chance to stay near and go far.

“Aspire to Be is proof of what happens when we put practical, hands-on, life changing support in place. I’m proud to have been able to offer some financial support to the programme, and see their impact continuing to grow; reaching even more people across our communities.

“Opportunity shouldn’t be limited by where you live. Having special educational or physical needs can’t be a barrier to living a full life as part of a thriving community. Everyone in South Yorkshire deserves the chance to thrive. Aspire to Be are making that promise a reality.”

Tina Rafferty, Aspire to Be’s programme manager, said: “We are unique and very different to other educational providers; the difference is there are no classrooms or pen or paper used; all training is hands-on using sector specific simulated areas.

“We have a warehouse, hotel room, residential care setting, NHS hospital setting, health and social care room, shop, kitchen and cafe setting. The training we provide covers warehousing, hospitality, cleaning, NHS facilities, adult social care, kitchen assistant and retail so it is very varied giving people extensive and person-centred opportunities to learn vital skills to get into work.

“Following the success of establishing the service over the last two years, we are now committed to building momentum as part of our five-year plan and this new funding from SYMCA is absolutely critical to us. The next stage will see us develop and strengthen our networks and partnerships and the foundations we have already laid in Doncaster across South Yorkshire so we can expand our reach and deepen our engagement.

“A significant component of this work involves overcoming current logistical barriers by establishing a base Sheffield which is really exciting for us as it helps us widen our engagement area so more people can benefit from our unique approach that delivers results.”

For more information about Aspire to Be, please visit www.deaf-trust.co.uk/employability/aspire-to-be/ or contact Tina at tina.raffery@cscd.ac.uk