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Supported Employment Pathways for Young People with SEND

Supporting young people with SEND to gain skills, confidence and experience for paid work and independent adulthood.

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Together, we build futures. In Sutton, every young person with additional needs has the right to access meaningful work, ongoing support, and a clear, tailored pathway into adulthood. Our community of providers, local employers, and dedicated job coaches are committed to providing personalised training, vocational opportunities, and inclusive environments. We champion potential, helping young people step confidently into the workplace, grow their career, and thrive.

The Sutton local area supported employment offer is a multi-agency pathway designed to help young people (ages 16–25) with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). It provides personalised job coaching, vocational profiling, and workplace accommodations to transition young people into paid, meaningful employment, further education, or supported internships/apprenticeships.

Goal: Empower and guide young people with additional needs (16–25) toward meaningful employment, education, or training.

Core Support Services:

  • Access to Work (DWP) [External Link]: Government grant for practical support (e.g., travel, equipment) to help you remove work-related barriers.

  • Connect to Work (Ingeus) [External Link]: A voluntary program for individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or complex barriers to find or stay in work.

  • Disability Employment Team (DWP): Stationed at the Sutton Jobcentre Plus. Provides specialised advice, benefits guidance, and employment assistance for Universal Credit claimants.

  • Step Ahead Service (Sutton College): Free support for residents including 1:1 coaching, CV writing, interview preparation, and access to Careers Fairs. Contact: stepahead@suttoncollege.ac.uk.

  • Supported Internships (FE sector): For young people aged 16–24 with an EHCP. Programmes like DFN Project SEARCH and local college schemes offer direct job rotations and coaching. Mencap Training Academy, Orchard Hill College, Nescot, Care Trade, and Ambitious College are local and cross border colleges offering Supported Internships. See our information page for more detail on Supported Internships.

  • Sutton NEET Service (LBS): For those aged 16–19 (up to 24 with additional needs) for mentoring and transition support into education, employment or training. Find out more through the Integrated Youth Services directory pages.

  • Sutton Supported Employment Service (Mencap): Employ Me - Run in partnership with Mencap. Offers 1:1 guidance, group work, and advocacy specifically for individuals with learning or physical disabilities and autism. Find out more through Mencap Service Pages

  • Training Courses (FE sector): Local providers such as Sutton and District Training, Carshalton College, Orchard Hill College, Carshalton Athletic Football Academy, Nescot and the London Learning Consortium all offer work based training for Sutton young people.

  • Volunteering: Build foundational skills and community participation through Volunteer Centre Sutton. Find out more on the Volunteer Centre Sutton Services Page

  • Youth Hub (Sutton College): A specialised contact point for work experience and working trials, connecting you to DWP resources.

Find out more on our SEND Employment Organisations and Resources Page