Gina Sullivan, one of the people we support at Autism Together, is a recent addition to our Pathway to Work scheme.
We introduced Pathway to Work in 2023 to help create a potential route into the workplace for autistic adults we support who were interested in gaining employment.
Some of the people we support already have experience working within one of the three cafes our charity runs, and a number of these individuals have joined the scheme.
Gina is one such person, having gained customer service skills in a public-facing role at our Bromborough Pool Café & Shop. However, the experience she is gaining at her work placement has seen her confidence and belief in her own abilities grow significantly.
The scheme is helping Gina get genuine experience within the workplace at a location she finds interesting and stimulating. That place is Eureka! Science + Discovery on the Wirral banks of the River Mersey at Seacombe.
Stepping into the world of work
Eureka! is a visitor attraction aimed at families, which takes children on a journey through many different aspects of science in a way that is fun, educational, and above all, interactive. The exhibits within cover everything from how our homes get power, to how the human body processes food and gets rid of the waste! It’s all great fun and very hands-on.
We visited Gina during one of her placement days, and she was only too happy to show us around the attraction. Moving through the three main sections – Bodies, Homes, and Nature – it is clear Gina knows every exhibit really well and was enjoying showing us how to use each of the interactive elements and games in each new section we visited.
Gina is learning how to become an Enabler – this is the job title that most of the staff at Eureka! have, as they are present around the attraction to ‘enable’ children to better access, understand, and enjoy the interactive features.
At the point of our visit, Gina had been in her placement for 8 weeks; but thanks to being buddied up with some fantastic and experienced Enablers, along with a real drive to learn and succeed in the role, Gina has been excelling.
Using visual aids
Eureka!’s Visitor Services Manager Niamh Parrington, worked with Autism Together’s Pathway to Work Coordinator Helen Bolton to help secure the placement and is overseeing Gina’s progress.
Niamh explains that she came up with a scheme to help guide new Enablers when they come into the role – using the idea of a Bingo Card to encourage them to learn new skills and try them out. These Bingo Cards give staff goals to work towards, for example ‘stamp 10 people’s hands’ or ‘scan 3 people’s bookings’.
The Bingo Cards are a fantastic way to empower new staff members, giving them a fun and interactive way to understand how to move forward and succeed in their job role. They are also a good way to track progress, through clear goals that can just be carried around in your back pocket. This kind of structured approach, to learning the job role, can be very helpful to those autistic people who might appreciate having a visual aid to refer to.
Gina’s experience
Gina herself said she got a lot from the Bingo Card idea as it gave her solid goals to work towards during her placement days – ticking off six tasks on her very first day!
Gina explained: “What I got done, depended on where the Enablers were going. I’d follow the Enabler and they let me have a go of some of the stuff they do, when on the Shop or Admissions. They show me what they’re doing and I learn from that.
“The first few weeks have been the most difficult because it’s nervous being in a new place and out of my comfort zone, in a good way, learning what they do.”
Gina also credits the positive experiences she has had before starting her placement, from working in our Bromborough Pool Café, to spending time with her two young nieces, and also getting help from her support worker Chris – along with Helen, our Pathway to Work Coordinator.
Support from Autism Together
Gina explained that Helen visits her in her placement, she has her phone number to call for any support she might need, she had a first month review meeting with Helen and Chris, and also completed an Empowerment Passport to further grow her confidence levels.
Helen said: “I think Gina has surprised herself in how much she could achieve. I think she’s grown the confidence to feel secure in these environments, and that there are few limits to what she can do.”
The Empowerment Passport is a personal document to Gina, which explains to other organisations or other employers what adjustments Gina might need. For individuals that are less confident in discussing what might help them in a situation, it’s a very valuable tool both for the individuals and organisations involved.
Next, Gina has decided she’d like to take part in the live shows the team regularly performs at Eureka! and she feels that succeeding at this, in front of an audience, will boost her confidence even more.
The value of Pathway to Work
Niamh has overseen Gina’s journey since arriving at Eureka and she really sees the huge value and potential in the Pathway to Work scheme. Niamh explained: “I think it’s a really good idea. We tend to take work placements of students who are 15 and don’t really know what they want to do – so it’s a different experience.
“But when we get people on a Pathway to Work, they’re just so open to anything. Gina’s been so open to learning, so open to us as well.”
Helen noted that at Eureka! there weren’t any barriers to expressing yourself and trying new things, just options and solutions. We asked Niamh about reasonable adjustments that were made for Gina and if these have changed their practices at all, with regards to offering placements.
Niamh explained that while employers may at first be unsure what putting reasonable adjustments in place might involve, it’s just a case of being understanding and ensuring the wellbeing of the individual.
“It was actually just meet the person, see what the person wants and needs, and then get on with it,” Niamh revealed. “It’s actually just the same as working with any of the Enablers, and training any of the Enablers.”
We conclude by discussing next steps for people on the pathway. Helen explains this is very person-centred and driven by each individual. Someone might want to try a new placement, or they might want to look towards a permanent role.
“There’s lots of individuals that Gina works alongside in our day services, and since Gina’s been on the programme we’ve had about five other individuals desperate to try it – because Gina’s so full of confidence. We’ve got so many people now, desperate to try it and see. So Gina is really pioneering – she’s leading the way!”
How to find out more…
To find out more about Autism Together’s Pathway to Work scheme and how to access it, please click link to email Helen Bolton, Autism Together’s Pathway to Work Coordinator or call her on: 07485 934086.
