Past research projects

Find information about our past research projects relating to employment.

For information on other autism research projects, please click here.

The Autism Hampshire Employability Pathways Project

Funded by Hampshire County Council and the European Social Fund, this project allowed us to work with over 70 local job seekers on the Autism Spectrum. The aim was help on their pathway to employment. The project were able to offer and evaluate an autism specialist package of support which included:

  • A Profiling Assessment provided by the Autism Centre for Research on Employment
  • Autism friendly job application and interview skills courses run in partnership with the National Careers Service
  • Person centred one-to-one support

Autism Hampshire also hosted employer events for business owners, HR directors and those with recruitment responsibilities. These events provided them with information about how and why they should recruit more people on the Autism Spectrum and how to best support any current employees. Their contacts with employers were further enhanced by the recruitment of Autism Ambassadors in businesses across the county.

For more information about the project click here.

Solent Jobs Programme

The Solent Jobs Programme (SJP) aimed to provide integrated and personalised support to people claiming Employment support Allowance in Southampton, Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport and the Isle of Wight. The programme included claimants on the Autism Spectrum who received a tailored Profiling Assessment by the Autism Centre for Research on Employment.

The programme was funded by the European Social Fund and City Deal/local matched funds.

In addition to personal support participants opted for a Transitional Employment Programme (TEP). The TEP involved a subsidised job for up to 25 hours per week paid at the National Living Wage for up to six months. This was a unique element of the programme, which was designed to further support those individuals to gain experience of the workplace and to update their skills.

A report of the outcomes of this project will be published shortly.

Removing barriers to autism employment

The grant awarded from the Department of Health: Autism Innovation Fund to the Autism Centre for Research on Employment at the University of Portsmouth was employed in the creation of an innovative cost-effective Profiling Assessment© service, developed to enhance the job prospects of people on the Autism Spectrum without learning disabilities.

The main outcomes of this project were:

(i) Production of employment and autism-specific Profiling Assessment© tools.

(ii) An evaluation report which demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of the PA© tools in increased rates of clients reporting that the employer had made the right adjustments.

(iii) Provision of fifteen work placements for people on the Autism Spectrum.

For a full report of the outcomes of this project please click here.