Tool Up Employment Mentoring programme

Diagnosed or self-identify as autistic?
Struggling to find employment or progress in your current role?
Take a step towards a fulfilling career and join our Tool Up mentoring programme.
Register at https://ndsa.uk/tool-up/
Email: toolup@ndsa.uk

The programme starts in February 2021 for the start of mentoring by mid March.

We are helping autistic people to find and progress in fulfilling employment through our new Tool Up Mentoring programme. It includes weekly one hour one to one mentoring sessions, an online employment readiness course and an online support group. Our Tool Up Mentoring programme will help you to formulate and progress towards your employment goal. It is suitable for vocational, admin and professional careers.

Employment provides a sense fulfilment, recognition and belonging. Research has shown that employment is central to autistic sense of wellbeing and quality of life, yet 77% of autistic people are unemployed and want to work, 58% among them want and need some help getting into employment.

There is little evidence that various employment initiatives work for autistic people with a notable exception of mentoring. A prominent autistic autism researcher Dr Damian Milton and his colleagues have piloted a mentoring programme that shown progress into employment and an improvement to the wellbeing of autistic participants.

Our programme is based on Dr Milton’s study and designed with his participation and valuable contribution from Dr Susy Ridout, the expert on mentoring of neurodivergent people. It is developed by autistic people for autistic people who are looking to get into meaningful employment or to change careers.

We are aiming to help autistic people to realise their potential and lead fulfilling lives, including achieving employment that meets their skills and aspirations, be it a vocational, admin or a professional career.

Our Tool Up Mentoring programme has three elements:
  1. One to one mentoring, 1 hour per week for 20 weeks’
  2. An online support group,
  3. An online employment readiness course.
Weekly person centred one to one mentoring helps to formulate and progress towards your employment goal. It could be finding work, progressing within the current employment or even finding a voluntary position as a steppingstone into work.

The support group will provide peer support, advice and a sense of community and help to build positive autism identity that is also key for autistic wellbeing.

The Tool Up course will provide helpful resources and a timeline to underpin the mentoring and progression towards the personal goal. It will take you through various steps involved in preparing and applying for work and managing your career once in work. It provides a wealth of tips and resources tailored to autistic people.

This programme helps both mentors and mentees to realise their potential, achieve personal growth and connect to employment and to an online autistic community.

Enrol into the Tool Up mentoring programme: https://neurodiverseselfadvocacy.org.uk/
Contact us at: toolup@ndsa.uk

Information Zoom webinar for prospective mentees on 23 February at 6 pm.


Zoom webinar for mentors on Wednesday 10 March at 6 pm.


Become a mentor!
Looking for meaningful ways to volunteer?
Wanting to help to make life changing difference?

Become a mentor! Register at https://neurodiverseselfadvocacy.org.uk/

Mentoring can provide a great sense of fulfilment and recognition. You could be helping an autistic adult to achieve life changing step into employment and develop your own mentoring skills. Our Tool Up programme will train and support mentors throughout the programme.

What is involved?

You will receive a comprehensive free training developed and delivered by Dr Damian Milton and Dr Susy Ridout. You will also join a mentors’ online support group and receive individual support and supervision from experienced mentors throughout the programme. You will mentor one or if you prefer two autistic individuals to the rate of one hour per week for a duration of 20 weeks.

You would need to complete enrolment, mid-term and post programme questionnaires, attend the two day online training, consent to a DBS check and commit to 20 weeks of mentoring. You will receive payment of £300 for the entire programme (or £15 per session inclusive of tax, holiday pay and any other contributions).

Register: https://neurodiverseselfadvocacy.org.uk/
Contact us at: toolup@ndsa.uk
 

Attachments

  • small.jpg
    small.jpg
    471.4 KB · Views: 3
  • mentoring man and woman small_1443616961.jpg
    mentoring man and woman small_1443616961.jpg
    69.5 KB · Views: 2
  • Information and welcome meeting presentation to mentees.pdf
    2 MB · Views: 10
  • Timeline slide.pptx
    229.5 KB · Views: 8
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: user1

aadap

New member
hello, just wondering in relation to enrolling process (mentee)

noted 4th February date for furum in regard to mentees ..

but, is one to enroll prior that date?
 

Margot

Administrator
II sent an email to all the mentors inviting to come. Don't worry, there will be another on 18 Feb at 6 and them another on 10 March at 6 as well.
 

Margot

Administrator
aadap, sorry I do not understand your message. What do you mean by past mentoring programme email? You received an invite for 4 Feb, right?
 

Margot

Administrator
What to expect from the Tool Up information and welcome Zoom meeting?

  1. You need to login into Zoom with the user name that you feel comfortable sharing, so if you don't want your full name being known, please create a Zoom account with a username, ideally the same as on the forum.

  2. You don't have to switch on your camera.

  3. During the meeting you might be invited to say a few words about yourself, you don't have to say your full name and switch the camera on if you feel strongly about this. You can use your username.

  4. The Zoom group and the Mentee's Cafe forum are private, only available to the participants of the programme, so you are all in similar situations and I hope you will join in and share.

  5. Looking forward to meeting you
 

blitzente

New member
Hello, I have signed up as a mentee but don't seem to have permission to access the mentee cafe forum I was emailed about. Is this intentional?
 

Hockney

New member
What to expect from the Tool Up information and welcome Zoom meeting?

  1. You need to login into Zoom with the user name that you feel comfortable sharing, so if you don't want your full name being known, please create a Zoom account with a username, ideally the same as on the forum.

  2. You don't have to switch on your camera.

  3. During the meeting you might be invited to say a few words about yourself, you don't have to say your full name and switch the camera on if you feel strongly about this. You can use your username.

  4. The Zoom group and the Mentee's Cafe forum are private, only available to the participants of the programme, so you are all in similar situations and I hope you will join in and share.

  5. Looking forward to meeting you
Thanks for letting us know about the format of the meeting and that you are looking at access issues to the closed mentee group. It would be great to have an overview of what the programme covers - will this be shared at the meeting tomorrow? or is there a place to look at this on the site. Thanks for your efforts, I understand that the co-ordination of courses and groups can have little setbacks.
 

blitzente

New member
I am still unable to access the mentee cafe from the link in the email, so I haven't been able to introduce myself as suggested.
 
Last edited:

Hockney

New member
Hello

I am waiting in the zoom room - for the host to start this meeting? its 12:10pm - I have emailed. I will wait until 12:15 and try to reconnect
 

blitzente

New member
I have also been waiting in the zoom room since 12pm. It would be helpful to get updates on delays as, like many autistic people, I easily become anxious when expected scheduling gets disrupted.
 

Hockney

New member
I have also been waiting in the zoom room since 12pm. It would be helpful to get updates on delays as, like many autistic people, I easily become anxious when expected scheduling gets disrupted.
hello there - I think we are in the same position- I have tried to reconnect and I am waiting for the host to start the meeting. So I think there is something technical happening. Hope to meet you soon.
 

blitzente

New member
Yes, we just got an email saying it was technical difficulties. Thanks for the update, hope you can resolve them and the forum permissions issues soon.
 

Audrey2

New member
I was waiting too. It has thrown my day off completely. I'm not ungrateful for the opportunity to be mentored but believe this should have been sorted out well in advance. Zoom isn't new anymore. First impressions don't bode well.
 

blitzente

New member
I was thinking the same tbh. Zoom seems like an odd choice for something aiming to support autistic people considering how common audio/visual sensory processing difficulties are, too.
 

Margot

Administrator
I am very sorry for the inconvenience, we had an issue not related to Zoom, but any way it is indeed not a good first impression and we are sorry for this. Please bear with us for a second chance :)

There will be another meeting for the mentees on the 9 February at 6 pm. The link will be emailed.

Finally, the forum is the prime medium for the support group, where you can engage right now.