Royal National Institute for Deaf People Job Clubs, UK

The aims

Providing support to deaf or hard-of-hearing people, and helping them gain skills, confidence and employment.

The story

Barclays donated £15,000 to enable the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) to set up a new Job Clubs service in South Wales. Volunteers from Barclays also contributed their time to the pilot project, attending regular sessions to provide advice and help 31 jobseekers identify their skills, interests and areas for development.

Vital to the programme was helping the Job Club members understand their rights in the workplace, and volunteers worked with them to fill out application forms, write CVs and prepare for interviews.

Since the 12-month programme finished, ten of the jobseekers have found employment, and the RNID continues to offer support to these successful candidates, organising Deaf Awareness training for their new colleagues and offering advice on arranging sign language interpreters.

According to RNID figures, one in seven people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing, and deaf people are four times more likely to be unemployed than their hearing counterparts.

Results to date

After taking part in the Job Clubs, ten candidates have secured permanent paid employment and three major employers in the area have committed their support to the project.