Posted March 28th 2025
Led by Learning Disability Wales, the Engage to Change project began in 2016 and worked across Wales in collaboration with the Elite Supported Employment Agency, Agoriad Cyf and All Wales People First to provide young people with a learning disability, learning difficulty and/or autism to achieve their potential through job coaching and supported employment.
Since 2023, ‘Influencing and Informing Engage to Change’, a partnership between the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) and Learning Disability Wales, has worked across Wales and with Welsh Government and members of the Senedd to promote good practice and influence policy around job coaching and supported employment for young people with learning disabilities and autism. The NCMH Engage to Change team was set up by Dr Stephen Beyer and the research was undertaken by Dr Elisa Vigna, Andrea Meek, Jacob Meighan and Honorary Research Associate Gerraint Jones-Griffiths.
Engage to Change gave evidence to the Senedd Equality and Social Justice Committee on the powerful impact of job coaching and supported employment on individuals with learning disabilities, learning difficulties and/or autism. This includes working with 1,300 young people and 800 employers, achieving a 41% employment compared to 4.8% nationally.
At First Minister’s Questions, Dr Hefin David MS raised concerns that Engage to Change would be finishing it’s work on the 31st March 2025 and urged the Welsh Government to support job coaching ‘fully’ “…[ensuring] that job coaching continues and that the legacy [of Engage to Change] is continued throughout Wales.”
First Minister Eluned Morgan noted the ‘staggering results’ of the Engage to Change project and committed to mainstream job coaching and supported employment provision in Wales:
“The lessons learnt from the Engage to Change project are integral to shaping future job coaching practices and policies in Wales. In 2027, the new Welsh Government Employability Support programme will include specialist job support coaching services.”
NCMH Research Fellow, Dr Elisa Vigna is thrilled about the announcement: “great victory for inclusive employment in Wales. Partnership work and the independent evaluation of Engage to Change allowed us to demonstrate what works. We hope Welsh Government will continue to use Engage to Change resources to inform how the new employability support programme will be developed.”
Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, the learning disability research team at NCMH will no longer be in post after the 31st of March 2025. For further communication please contact the Engage to Change lead partner Learning Disability Wales enquiries@ldw.org.uk
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