SEND Next Choices: Creating Pathways to Employment
Leeds City Council’s Employment and Skills team is launching SEND Next Choices – creating pathways to employment. The year-round programme is designed to raise aspirations, improve opportunity and strengthen routes into meaningful paid employment for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
This programme will bring together young people and their parents and carers, schools and colleges, employers and support services through a coordinated series of events, engagement activities and workforce development programmes.
SEND Next Choices will run throughout the year and will feature major citywide events and targeted workstreams which together will create a coherent pathway from education into employment.
SEND Next Choices is part of Leeds City Council’s commitment to making Leeds a more inclusive city, where every young person can access meaningful opportunities and fulfil their potential.
The aims of the programme are to:
- Raise aspirations and improve understanding of employment opportunities for young people with SEND.
- Connect employers and young people through high-quality interactions that lead to real, paid job opportunities.
- Strengthen the skills and confidence of teachers and careers practitioners to provide informed, personalised guidance.
- Support employers to become more SEND confident and offer inclusive workplaces.
- Promote health, wellbeing, and sustainable employment through the new Healthy Working Lives programme.
Annual Careers Events
Leeds Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair – February
- The Leeds Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair is the largest apprenticeship recruitment event in the north.
- 100+ exhibitors offering apprenticeships in all sectors.
- A help and support services zone.
- For the first time this year the event included a ‘meet and greet’ service, offering visitors additional support and guidance to navigate the venue and support them with getting the best out of the event.
- Introduction of a quiet hour for 2027.
Local Offer Live – March
- An event aimed at young people with SEND and their families to receive information, advice and guidance along with employment and training opportunities.
- The event will include a new post‑16 showcase, highlighting education, training, supported internships, apprenticeships and employment options.
Scope Jobs Fair – June
- Scope are hosting a jobs and employability fair in partnership with Leeds City Council in June.
- The event will be accessible and showcase live vacancies from employers. It will be held at the Scope Community Hub in Leeds.
STEMFEST – July
- A national initiative which will take place in Leeds over 2 days on 1st and 2nd of July at Events North in Kirkstall.
- The event aims to celebrate and promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through interactive, engaging and hands on experiences.
Autisticon – July
- AutistiCon is a free, annual autism information and community event held in Leeds, created to celebrate autism and neurodiversity and to share accurate, lived‑experience‑led information.
- The event brings together autistic people, families, carers, professionals and allies, with information stalls from local services alongside talks by autistic speakers and autism professionals
- AutistiCon is designed as a safe, welcoming and accessible drop‑in event, with quiet spaces and sensory‑aware planning, allowing people to attend for as long or as short a time as they need.
Next Gen – October
- Next Gen is a careers and choices fair aimed at young people, particularly Year 10 and Year 11 students, to help them explore what options are available after GCSEs. It takes place in October at Events North.
- It brings together FE colleges, sixth forms, apprenticeship providers, training organisations and local employers all in one place.
Careers in Leeds – November 2026
- A new major cross sector careers event offering direct access to employers across all industries in the city.
- The event will include a dedicated quiet hour, ensuring a calm and accessible environment.
- There will be a support services zone, inclusive zone, interesting careers talks and direct access to employers with opportunities across all sectors which responds to feedback from previous SEND next choices events.
Employer Engagement and Inclusive Recruitment
The Employment and Skills service works closely with employers across Leeds to:
- Promote inclusive hiring practices and raise awareness of the benefits of employing young people with SEND.
- Develop new employment pathways, including supported internships and apprenticeships.
- Offer workshops and resources to help businesses become more confident and capable in supporting SEND employees.
There are a number of networks including the Leeds SEND Employment Forum and the Leeds Inclusive Employers Network which will work together to provide support for employers and to increase opportunities.
If you are an employer and would like to get in touch please email esemployers@leeds.gov.uk
Informed Choices Programme
The Employment and Skills service delivers the Council‑funded Informed Choices programme. This programme provides high quality careers support to secondary schools, FE and 6th form colleges, SILCs and alternative provision settings. As well as the large scale careers events the offer, which is is free for schools to access, includes:
- A monthly CEAIG newsletter which is sent to around 250 careers practitioners across the city
- A termly CEIAG network. The lead practitioners is the Head of East SILC which means that each network also has a dedicated focus on SEND
- Start in Leeds – a bespoke online careers guidance platform which includes local labour market information, details of the city’s post 16 offer as well as information about a range of job roles within a number of sectors
- Apprenticeship information sessions in schools and colleges
- A business brokerage offer connecting young people to a range of employers across the city
- CPD training for teachers and careers practitioners to increase understanding of pathways, support needs, and employer expectations. Sessions will include information on the Gatsby Benchmarks, preparation for adulthood, and local labour market opportunities.
- Lead service for the delivery of CFL Wish 11 – all young people have access to volunteering, work experience and employment opportunities
To find out more please email esemployers@leeds.gov.uk
Supported Internships
- Leeds City Council has been developing programmes and resources to increase the number of supported internships in the city.
- A supported internship is a study programme for young people aged 16-24 who have an education health and care plan (EHCP).
- The internship involves the intern being with a host employer for 3 days a week and 2 days within college.
- Leeds City Council currently has 2 SI providers – Lighthouse Futures Trust and Leeds City College.
- The success rate of interns moving into paid employment in Leeds as a result of the SI Programme is over 85% which is higher than the national average.
- Leeds City Council also received some funding as part of a national pilot to support young people with SEND who did not have an EHCP.
Healthy Working Life – Supported Employment Programme
The Healthy Working Life Supported Employment programme provides tailored, person‑centred support to help young people with SEND move into sustainable, meaningful employment.
The programme combines job‑coaching, workplace adjustments, and ongoing in‑work support with a strong focus on health, wellbeing, and building confidence. Working closely with employers, the programme will ensure that each young person is matched to a suitable role, receives structured support to learn tasks, and is given the tools needed to thrive in the workplace. his approach helps employers create inclusive, supportive environments while enabling young people to develop skills, independence, and long‑term career pathways.
