Past DuoDays: Success Stories

DuoDay 2023 

Since the publication of the recent Supported Employment Review and recommendations, we are working with our members to ensure that this leads to the expansion and improvement of the Supported Employment services across Scotland. We believe this will have a positive impact on DuoDay 2023 and what we and our members offer.

DuoDay was held on Thursday 16th November as part of our Inclusive Workplaces Week Scotland.

It was a great success with lots of different and interesting placements and job shadowing opportunities taking place across Scotland.

These fantastic employers offered placements as part of DuoDay23:

• ACS Clothing Ltd
• Borders College
• Glasgow Science Centre
• Eat Sleep Ride
• Museum Galleries Scotland
• NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
• Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS)
• West Dunbartonshire Council Greenspace

These employers offered job shadowing and work taster opportunities during DuoDay, all supported by SUSE members. Check out the photos below!

Supported by our amazing members:

• DFN Project SEARCH
• Into Work
• Glasgow City Council
• University of Strathclyde Project SEARCH
• North Lanarkshire Council Supported Employment Team
• Work Connect

DuoDay in 2021 was held on Thursday 18th November and our theme was Play Your Part, highlighting the contributions disabled people make to Scotland’s businesses and economy and encouraging everyone to work together to close the Disability Employment Gap in Scotland.

Our participation was made possible by sponsorships from Edward Gosling Foundation and the Souter Charitable Trust.

This was the third time we promoted this Europe wide initiative and we were extremely pleased to welcome both SUSE members and other organisations who partnered with us to make it a success. We worked together to address the Disability Employment Gap by developing relationships with employers and highlighting the contribution disabled people make to Scotland’s business and economy.

This year we were absolutely thrilled to bring together over 20 job shadowing opportunities working with a range of employers.

Click here to read all about this year’s DuoDay!

Please note that the above link opens an online flipbook. If you would prefer an alternative version please contact us at info@susescotland.scot

On 16 May 2019 SUSE hosted the second Scottish DuoDay, joining a European movement in support of equal working rights and opportunities for disabled people and people with long-term conditions.

This year SUSE chose the theme of The Disability Employment Gap. The recent Scottish Government publication A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: Employment Action Plan sets out a series of key actions including the need for more and better services and extensive work with employers to make our workplaces welcoming and accessible for all.

In line with these aspirations SUSE wanted to highlight the contributions of supported employment services and the support they provide to jobseekers and employers.

We were delighted to be able to offer some participants the opportunity to meet and shadow MSPs and Party Leaders at The Scottish Parliament including Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson, Richard Leonard, Kezia Dugdale, Willie Rennie and Patrick Harvie and attend First Minister’s Questions. There was also an opportunity to meet with Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Business, Fair Work and Skills to hear more about the Government’s plans to tackle the Disability Employment Gap.

We are very grateful to SUSE members who took part along with non-members who got involved and created opportunities for participants to get involved with whatever was scheduled for that day! These brilliant duos created lots of publicity on social media!

n April 2018, SUSE organised the first ever Scottish DuoDay, joining a European movement in support of equal working rights and opportunities for disabled people and people with long term conditions.

SUSE chose the theme of leadership to showcase that disabled people have leadership aspirations and that these can be realised.  13 leaders from disability and employability organisations answered this call for action and the CEOs and directors of partners such as the Grassmarket Centre, City of Edinburgh Council, The Health & Social Care Alliance, ENABLE Scotland, the Lennox Partnership and Social Firms Scotland hosted DuoDay participants this year.

SUSE also organised a unique DuoDay experience for 3 young disabled people at the Scottish Parliament. Karen, Yiorgos and Paul who are supported by Project Search and All in Edinburgh, took part. They learned more about the working life of MSPs with Jamie Hepburn and Jeane Freeman and had the opportunity to talk about their experiences of supported employment.

Karen currently works for Get2Gether, a charity that provides social opportunities for disabled people. This involves six hours of Supported Employment each week and she told us this has helped her to manage living with a disability and long-term condition. ‘I have always been driven and wanted to work but felt that the system was set up not to allow me to because I felt that working reduced hours was the only way I could manage my condition and stay healthy. Through supported employment, I have been able to stay in employment for 4 years and I have been able to develop skills, confidence and my employability skills.’

Karen, Paul and Yiorgos attended First Minister’s questions at the Parliament and met with the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, in her office. They had the opportunity to tell the First Minister how being supported to work has changed their lives and allowed them to look forward to the future. Karen explained that ‘By having a job I have been able to raise my own expectations of what it means to have a good life. In fact, not just to have a good life but a great life and be prepared to work hard and go out there and achieve it.’

For SUSE, the DuoDay initiative was a success with all of the duos getting a lot of publicity on social media and some participating organisations even offering jobs to the young people they were paired with. This is an important moment for the employability sector with the launch of Fair Start and this was a great opportunity to highlight the role of supported employment in enabling disabled people and people with long term conditions to access real jobs for real pay.