Charity opens new Worksop hub as it aims to bridge the disability employment gap

Following the success of centres in Sutton-in-Ashfield and Mansfield, Portland Pathways has opened a new hub on Newcastle Street, Worksop, to allow their team to reach more people.

Set up in 2017, Pathways offers programmes and one to one support to help people with disabilities and mental health challenges develop skills and prepare for and find employment.

In partnership with the NHS, the Recovery College courses help to improve mental health, and the one to one counselling sessions enable people to overcome barriers to employment.

Pathways also work with local businesses to help them become more accessible and to recruit the right staff for their roles.

In the years since opening, the charity have had ­­­922 referrals to the service, 189 people start work, 446 enrol onto Recovery College courses, and they have delivered 440 hours of counselling.

Dr Mark Dale, CEO at Portland Charity, said: “I am thrilled to be expanding our Portland Pathways initiative to the Worksop area.

“The Pathways team is small but they have had a huge and lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of customers, and there are a lot more people in North Nottinghamshire that can benefit from their expertise.”

Nikki Amirsaeedi, employment projects manager at Pathway, said: “The Pathways team and I are very excited to be able to reach a whole new community with our Pathways service.

“Over the last 4 years we have helped hundreds of people and are very thankful to all who have supported us to do so.”

To find out more, visit: https://www.portland.ac.uk/choose-your-future/portland-pathways/

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