New online recruitment service for disabled people

Disabled people seeking recruitment will benefit from a new
online recruitment service to be launched later this month (June
2001).

Microsoft Ltd and online recruitment website totaljobs.com have
worked with leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire to launch
an online recruitment service for disabled people,
‘jobability.com’

The site will be officially launched on 25 June, and includes a
careers advice page, step-by-step guidelines on how to use the site
and an information page including links.

Jobability.com follows on from Leonard Cheshire’s
workability scheme, which gives disabled people computers and
access to training via a virtual college.

Around 1,000 people graduate from the scheme every year,
demonstrating the need for this service to enable disabled people
to find employment.

Mike Wall, alliances manager of totaljobs.com, said: “We hope to
become a tried and tested online service, where technology opens
the door so individuals can gain the confidence to apply for
jobs.”

Wall stressed that many disabled individuals do not have the
confidence to apply for jobs. As a result, disabled people are
twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people. There are
currently 6.5 million disabled people of working age in Great
Britain.

Candidates who fulfil the specification attached to the jobs on
jobability.com will be guaranteed an interview by companies who
advertise vacancies on the site.

The site hopes to employ a disabled website editor who will
create an editorial team, which will become a community of disabled
people writing for disabled people.

www.jobability.com