Youve Got This - Bespoke self-employment for SEN learners

Our ‘ Steps into Self-Employment ' programme has been accredited as a level 1 customised qualification by NCFE and is available to learners without the need for Maths and English.

As Disability Confident Leaders, we are able to demonstrate our commitment to raising the aspirations of disabled people through the teaching of self-employment skills and supporting them in their journey to earning an independent income.

Through our innovative self-employment support for disabled people and the established partnerships we have with referral partners, we have achieved many significant outcomes for people with learning difficulties and additional needs, enabling them to secure sustainable self-employment or a traditional employed role.

Together with the SAMEE teams individualized guidance and support, disabled people are able to articulate their dreams and aspirations for their futures.
For some learners, their clear aspiration is to enter the world of work and live independently.

To support this goal, we have created a groundbreaking Steps into Self-Employment programme which teaches valuable self-employment skills and fully addresses the holistic needs of disabled learners including neurodivergent learners.

*I.E - neurodivergent people may be diagnosed with autism, ADHD, OCD, dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, or tourette's.

The course is co-designed to increase the possibility and probability of sustainable self-employment as a positive outcome for all disabled learners. By engaging with one consistent adviser, families and other members of the circle of support, learners will have a real chance of achieving their dreams of greater independence.

SAMEE has a proven track record of supporting people with learning difficulties into sustainable self-employment. The disabled people we work with are highly valued within their communities due to their consistent work ethic and commitment to their business.

We believe more learners with special educational needs should be encouraged to explore self-employment skills to see if they are able to create a sustainable role for themselves, one which fits in with their disability and challenges.

Steps into Self-Employment

Through our programme, learners can expect to develop :

Self-employment skills including bookkeeping, diary management and social media marketing.
Business planning skills including customer research, test marketing tools and a planning canvas.
A supported self-employed role.

This is achieved by :

Completing activities which will support their self-employment aspirations.
Attending weekly one-to-one self-employment skills building sessions using the resources and materials from our unique qualification programme.

We are committed to increasing the possibility and probability of sustainable self-employment for people with special educational needs.

SAMEE creates an estimated £8.56 Million in social value per annum at a cost of £73,860 . . .
Which implies a benefit-cost ratio of 115.9 to 1.
This implies that for every £1 spent - £115.92 of social value is created.
This is an exceptionally high benefit-cost ratio, driven by the sharp improvement in wellbeing and employment outcomes reported and the high level of attribution to SAMEE as opposed to other factors.

New Economic Foundation (2020)

As shown above : This was our impact in 2020 - Now move on to 2023/24 . . .

SAMEE has grown & improved since that point - It would be interesting to re-run the report . . .

Kent is a county in the South East England region, the closest county to continental Europe. It borders Essex across the entire estuary of the River Thames to the north, East Sussex to the south-west; Surrey to the west and Greater London to the north-west. The county town is Maidstone.

It is the fifth most populous county in England, the most populous non-metropolitan county and the most populous of the Home Counties. Twenty-eight per cent of the county forms part of two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty: the North Downs and The High Weald.

Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, the oldest cathedral in England, has been the seat of the Archbishops of Canterbury since the conversion of England to Christianity that began in the 6th century with Saint Augustine. Rochester Cathedral in Medway is England's second-oldest cathedral.

England relied on the county's ports to provide warships through much of its history; the Cinque Ports in the 10th–14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th–20th centuries were of particular importance. France can be seen clearly in fine weather from Folkestone and the White Cliffs of Dover. Hills in the form of the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge span the length of the county and in the Vale of Holmesdale in between and to the south are most of the county's 26 castles.

The county has agriculture, haulage, logistics and tourism industries. Agriculture of the county is a notable sector: "The Garden of England" is a nickname for the county, which has multiple orchards and allotments.