WIREDGOV

When Whitehall announced moves to close the first seven Remploy factories in Wales, the Welsh Government established the scheme to offer financial support for employers looking to provide work to eligible disabled Remploy workers. Last week it was confirmed the last Remploy factories in Wales are set to disappear.

Welsh Government funding is available to organisations who offer suitable employment to disabled former employees of Remploy for a period of four years. The support is also available to eligible disabled Remploy workers who have become self-employed or are planning to set up their own business. 

The policy is supported with £2.4 million and has been extended until March next year. An independent assessment panel made up of representatives from Social Firms Wales, Wales Co-operative Centre, Remploy Employment Services, Job Centre Plus, Unite, the GMB and the Wales TUC assesses applications for support.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of the panel a year after it was set up, Jeff Cuthbert said:

“The way Remploy has been handled by the UK Government has been a disgrace and we have opposed it from the start. Workers faced months of uncertainty and the prospect of looking for jobs at a time when the number of new positions in the jobs market was slim.

“That is why we took action and have now helped 117 former Remploy workers find new jobs and this number is increasing. This shows the Welsh Government is committed to helping vulnerable groups and we are unwilling to simply stand by and let Remploy workers slip through the net.”  

The Welsh Government is calling on employers to contact them for details of how they can access support to employ former Remploy workers.