CEO Adam Dodd: Inclusive employment works – it’s time for it to take off

2 September 2025

By Adam Dodd, CEO of Minstead Trust

The employment gap is still far too wide.  

Work brings pride. Purpose. Independence. 

But for many people with learning disabilities, work is still out of reach. The barriers aren’t about skills or ambition. They’re about how society sees and supports disabled people. 

In 2004, just 26% of people with a learning disability in the UK were in paid employment. 

 In 2022, it was still only 26.7% (Mencap Big Learning Disability Survey 2022). 

At the same time, 74.3% of the general population is in paid work. 

That gap hasn’t shifted in decades. And it’s not because people with learning disabilities don’t want to work. Most do. What’s stopping them is: 

• outdated ideas about what they can do 
• inaccessible recruitment processes 
• a lack of simple, reasonable adjustments 
• and fears about getting it wrong 

We’ve seen lots of plans. Lots of initiatives. But not enough change. That’s the reality. 

So what now? 

It starts with mindset.

At Minstead Trust, we’ve been asking: what’s really stopping inclusive employment from taking off? 

It’s not a lack of will. We talk to jobseekers, employers, training providers and funders all the time. Everyone wants to make it work. 

But too often we’re stuck in complexity. Paralysed by good intentions. Caught in the trap of trying to make everything perfect. 

So we’ve chosen to be agile. To learn by doing. To get better as we go. 

As a Disability Confident Leader, we’re creating inclusive employment opportunities from the ground up. And because we work directly with people with learning disabilities, we know how much talent is waiting to be unlocked. 

What we’ve learned by doing it 

Everyone is different. Every workplace is too. But some things are always true: 

• The right role brings out the best in people

• Small adjustments can make a big difference

• Trust and confidence grow through working together

• There are no good jobs or bad jobs – just jobs that fit the person

• Life outside work matters too – the right support can help people stay on track

These things aren’t exclusive to people with learning disabilities. But employers often worry that they’ll ‘get it wrong’ if they hire someone more vulnerable. 

We’re helping change that. 

Building confidence – for everyone 

We’ve invested in a specialist Empowering Employment team. Their job is to support employers, staff, and jobseekers alike. 

Before placements begin, we train every jobseeker thoroughly. We also support businesses to prepare – so everyone starts off on the right foot. 

During the transition, our Job Coaches are on hand. They’re in the workplace, helping everyone settle in. Modelling communication, identifying easy workarounds, and giving teams the confidence to carry on independently. Once everyone’s confident, our coaches step back – but they’re always available if needed. 

We’ve also added dedicated Wellbeing support to help employees manage life outside work. Because that’s part of what helps people stay in work. 

It’s a wraparound approach. It works. And now we’re supporting partner employers to do the same. 

What’s really holding inclusive employment back? 

We believe the biggest barrier is expectation. 

For too long, society has made employing people with learning disabilities feel like a huge task – something that needs specialist knowledge or heroic effort. 

It doesn’t. It just needs the right support and a willingness to see the person. 

Give people the confidence to start. Give teams the support they need. 

And suddenly, inclusive employment becomes not just possible – but powerful. 

It’s time to go beyond just recognising that there’s a problem. Let’s change the story. Let’s close the gap. 

Find out how Empowering Employment is working with businesses to break down barriers and create real opportunities.