Case Studies

Josh

A Candidate's Journey

Josh - Fladgate

From an interrupted internship to independent travel across London — and a job he’s proud of.

Josh is good-looking, well-presented, and a young autistic adult with learning disabilities. After finishing his GCSEs, he enrolled at West Herts College, and in September 2019 began a supported internship through the college at M&S in London Colney.

Then Covid hit. The internship was interrupted, and Josh wasn’t able to finish it. When the restrictions finally lifted, he found himself with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

He picked up some ‘as and when’ work at Bushey Golf Range, but the hours kept shifting, and then they kept getting cut. That’s when his mum, Michelle, heard about EmployAble and referred him.

Josh was motivated to work, and he had plenty going for him: he’s precise, reliable, honest, hard-working and process-oriented — exactly the qualities that mattered when a Client Hospitality Assistant role came up at the law firm Fladgate. He was put forward for it, and Fladgate adapted their interview process so he could properly show what he could do. He got the job, and he was delighted.

Getting there wasn’t simple. Josh had never used public transport on his own, and now he needed to travel from home in Borehamwood all the way to Fladgate’s offices in Holborn. On top of learning a completely new role, he also had to find his feet in a new team and get used to working full time for the first time.

EmployAble worked with Josh to build his confidence travelling independently, and provided job coaching to help him break tasks down into manageable steps — though it wasn’t long before Fladgate’s own team took over much of that support themselves. EmployAble trained Josh’s new colleagues from the start, and still checks in from time to time whenever something specific comes up.

“Josh had always wanted to find a proper job, and that overwhelmed me with worry. Through EmployAble, Josh is now happily working full time and really wants to do well. He has learnt so many new skills, including travelling around London on his own and even being able to negotiate emergencies. EmployAble has changed my son’s life, my life, and all our family’s life — I can’t thank you enough.”
Michelle Kimber, Josh’s Mum

A commute that once felt impossible is now just part of Josh’s week. What he’s built at Fladgate — the skills, the independence, the sense of belonging to a team — speaks for itself.

Susanne Heddon

Reception and Client manager

“Josh works in our hospitality team and is a valued member. Everybody enjoys his company and enjoys working with him. Since the time he started, we have seen great growth and improvement in the activities he carries out as well as in his interactions with others in the business”

Josh

“Fladgate is perfectly great and a I feel happy and proud to work here and look forward to every day”

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