Overview
For over 40 years Azure’s Employment Services department has worked with thousands of people with a disability or long-term health condition to find and retain employment.
Azure’s Person-Centred Active Support is core for all of our Employment Services programmes.
We have successfully delivered a wide range of employability programmes on behalf of a variety of funders such as Jobcentre Plus, DWP, North East Combined Authority, Shaw Trust and Remploy and have worked in partnership with over 70 employers including Avery Dennison, CMP Products, the NHS and Northumberland Wildlife Trust to identify and develop the skills and training needed for entry into the world of work.
Supported Businesses
Supported Businesses are those where over 50% of the workforce has a disability or long-term health condition. Azure’s businesses include: a Garden Centre, Landscapes division, Café and a Business Centre. Our Employment Services Team provide encouragement, advice and guidance to those working within these businesses.
Supported employment develops the skills that people with disability and or disadvantage can bring to the workplace. We understand the needs of the employer and the employee and arrange the right support to maintain employment and develop a career.
Supported Internships
Employment Services also supports our college’s supported internship programmes, aimed at those aged between 16-24 with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). The aim of a Supported Internship is a substantial work placement facilitated by the support of expert job coaches. The Employment Services department has a team of experienced Job Coaches qualified in Systematic Instruction training. In recent years we have supported learners on placement throughout Azure’s businesses. We are working with a range of local employers to develop this offer with external placements.
Of the 7 learners that left their Supported Internships in July 2025, 3 have gone on to gain paid employment.
Journey to Discovery (2025)
Journey to Discovery was a 4-week programme commissioned by the DWP to provide holistic confidence support to those who have not been engaged in the world of work, but need it in their journey towards employment. We focused on aspects including:
- Confidence building
- Social and interpersonal skills
- Critical thinking
- Healthy eating
- Positive change
Overview
For over 40 years Azure’s Employment Services department has worked with thousands of people with a disability or long-term health condition to find and retain employment.
Azure’s Person-Centred Active Support is core for all of our Employment Services programmes.
We have successfully delivered a wide range of employability programmes on behalf of a variety of funders such as Jobcentre Plus, DWP, North East Combined Authority, Shaw Trust and Remploy and have worked in partnership with over 70 employers including Avery Dennison, CMP Products, the NHS and Northumberland Wildlife Trust to identify and develop the skills and training needed for entry into the world of work.
Supported Businesses
Supported Businesses are those where over 50% of the workforce has a disability or long-term health condition. Azure’s businesses include: a Garden Centre, Landscapes division, Café and a Business Centre. Our Employment Services Team provide encouragement, advice and guidance to those working within these businesses.
Supported employment develops the skills that people with disability and or disadvantage can bring to the workplace. We understand the needs of the employer and the employee and arrange the right support to maintain employment and develop a career.
Supported Internships
Employment Services also supports our college’s supported internship programmes, aimed at those aged between 16-24 with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). The aim of a Supported Internship is a substantial work placement facilitated by the support of expert job coaches. The Employment Services department has a team of experienced Job Coaches qualified in Systematic Instruction training. In recent years we have supported learners on placement throughout Azure’s businesses. We are working with a range of local employers to develop this offer with external placements.
Of the 7 learners that left their Supported Internships in July 2025, 3 have gone on to gain paid employment.
Journey to Discovery (2025)
Journey to Discovery was a 4-week programme commissioned by the DWP to provide holistic confidence support to those who have not been engaged in the world of work, but need it in their journey towards employment. We focused on aspects including:
- Confidence building
- Social and interpersonal skills
- Critical thinking
- Healthy eating
- Positive change
NEAS Partnership (2021 - Present)
Since 2021, Azure Employment Services has been in partnership with the North East Autism Society to deliver on several programmes aimed at moving neurodiverse individuals towards and into work. The programmes include:
- Working Together NE (2025 – 2026)
- Empower Works NE (2024 – 2026)
- ProgressNE (2024 – 2025)
- DiversityNE (2021 – 2023)
These programmes are commissioned by the North East Combined Authority and aim to help people in the area (Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland & County Durham). Clients must identify as neurodiverse but do not need a diagnosis to receive support from a trained and experienced adviser, allowing them to work on their journey towards job-searching, education and employment, as well as breaking down barriers that may affect this journey. This can include:
- CV work
- Interview skills
- Job-searching
- Travel training
- Employer engagement
- Support to access vocational training
- Support to access education
- Volunteering
- Work placements
We have been set numerous targets and outcomes by the funders on these programmes. It is worth noting that we have never, in any of these programmes, failed to hit (and even exceed) our employment and support into job-searching targets.
Our programmes run regularly and are often open to referrals. If you are interested, please contact us on the details below to discuss what we have on offer.
Previous Programmes - Work in Progress
Funded by DWP, Work in Progress is delivered throughout Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland on behalf of Jobcentre Plus, Work in Progress is a specialist programme of support designed for people with learning disability, Asperger’s or autism. This programme was about what you are as person and the help you need to move closer to the world of work. You might need help with thing like:
- Careers Advice
- Confidence Building
- Understanding the world of work
- Personal presentation
- Interview skills
- Gaining work experience
- How to job search
- Travel training
- Dyslexia screening
Many of our clients benefited from work experience placements which help them develop their employability skills, social skills and which provide them with an opportunity to do something which adds real value and has real meaning.
We have been commissioned by DWP 4 times to deliver this provision with our success as outlined below:
DWP: Work in Progress 1 (2018)
Contract: 40
Achievements:
- 34 placements attended
- 1 taster day
- 9 volunteering opportunities commenced
- 5 clients gained paid employment
Client Feedback: My confidence has been boosted. I can talk to more people. My time keeping is now good.
DWP: Work in Progress 2 (2020) – contract was for 3 months Jan-March 2020*
Contract: 40
Achievements:
- 3 placements attended*
*Due to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, achievements were curtailed
DWP: Work in Progress 3 (2020)
Contract: 45
Achievements:
- 16 placements attended
- 8 taster days
- 5 volunteering opportunities commenced
- 15 interviews for paid employment
- 8 gained paid employment
- 1 traineeship
Client Feedback: ‘Engagement with my Adviser has helped me to become more confident and improve my mental health’
DWP: Work in Progress 4 (2021)
Contract: 45
Achievements:
- 2 placements
- 5 volunteering opportunities commenced
- 20 interviews for paid employment
- 9 gained paid employment
- 4 work trials
Client Feedback: ‘This is the first time I have felt part of a team and not just a number. This programme and placement has really developed my confidence. The support from staff has been invaluable’.
Platform to Success
Funded by LNER (London North Eastern Railway Limited), Platform to Success is a programme is to provide short intensive one to one support to 30 unemployed people with disability and/or long-term health condition(s) on their journey towards employment. Priority groups have been identified as those aged 18-24 and those who have been impacted by redundancy, these being the two significant groups negatively impacted by the Covid-19. We understand that people with learning disability can be more likely to experience poor mental health and we also recognise that as a consequence of this pandemic according to the WHO “Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and fear are triggering mental health conditions or exacerbating existing ones”. With this is mind our project will also support the above groups with mild to moderate mental health issues as we envisage the pandemic having lasting effects on people’s mental health. We will use employability as a positive focus, build skills and promote the health benefits employment can bring.
Of the 30 clients we supported on this programme:
- 4 gained paid employment
- 20 secured interviews
- 2 clients commenced volunteering opportunities
- 1 client attended a work placement
- 1 client was supported to engage in community services
Interested?
If you think you might be interested in learning more about what we do or perhaps as an employer you might be able to offer a Work Experience Placement and would like more information, a member of our team will be happy to help.
You can contact the Employment Services Team on:
Tel: 01670 717 106
email: es@azure-charitable.co.uk
Interested?
If you think you might be interested in learning more about what we do or perhaps as an employer you might be able to offer a Work Experience Placement and would like more information, a member of our team will be happy to help.
You can contact the Employment Services Team on:
Tel: 01670 717 106
email: es@azure-charitable.co.uk