Postgraduate research opportunities Advancing Support Employment approaches for individuals with learning disabilities, autism or other complex support needs
ApplyKey facts
- Opens: Monday 29 January 2024
- Deadline: Wednesday 3 April 2024
- Number of places: 1
- Duration: 36 months
- Funding: Home fee, Stipend
Overview
Supported Employment is a voluntary, person-centred model of employment support for individuals with learning disabilities, autism or other complex support needs that is rooted in values and evidence. It’s an important part of the UK’s employment support offer and current policy conversation and this PhD project with the is positioned amongst key policy stakeholders and academic expertise to deliver valuable new learnings as well as significant impacts on policy and practice.Eligibility
Strathclyde Business School is committed to supporting a diverse and inclusive postgraduate research population. We make decisions on entry by assessing the whole person and not relying solely on academic achievements. On that basis, please ensure that your application (via your CV and covering letter) can evidence your resourcefulness, commitment and resilience as demonstrated by broader professional and life experiences. This evidence should be centred on your ability to undertake and complete a PhD and contribute to a positive PhD community.
If English isn't your first language, you'll need an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent with no individual element below 5.5.
Your application must include:
- an updated curriculum vitae
- details of two academic referees, including email addresses
- academic transcripts, which must be certified copies
Project Details
Supported Employment is a voluntary, person-centred model of employment support for individuals with health conditions or disabilities that is rooted in values, evidence and fidelity (a list of service characteristics that associate with better outcomes and experiences for participants). Supported Employment is important to the UK’s national employment support offer and is a key current policy topic given the imminent arrival of DWP’s Universal Support employment programme that is built around a Supported Employment approach.
Inside that context, this collaborative PhD with the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) will focus on key priorities and opportunities around an approach known as the Supported Employment Quality Framework (SEQF) – a fidelity model, set of values, and a way of working in partnership with (typically) individuals with learning disabilities and/or autism. BASE are a key UK organisation regards this approach and are supervisory partners in the PhD, alongside the project’s wider partnerships with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Scottish Government. Supported Employment is at a really exciting moment in UK policy and this PhD is a great opportunity for somebody passionate about helping disabled people achieve their employment aspirations to work in collaboration with key policy stakeholders and research experts to drive valuable new research as well as major direct impacts on policy and practice.
The Supported Employment landscape is vast and the PhD could focus on a range of key issues including employer perspectives and engagement, critical success factors, client experiences, job matching, co-production, cost-benefit modelling, impact evaluation, target population groups etc and utilising a variety of qualitative and/or qualitative methods. We have some ideas but we are a person-centred, collaborative team and would wish co-produce the specific focus of the PhD with the selected candidate to reflect their own passions and strengths.
Funding details
Fully-funded scholarship for three years covers all university tuition fees (at UK level) and an annual tax-free stipend. International students are also eligible to apply, but they will need to find other funding sources to cover the difference between the home and international tuition fees. Exceptional international candidates may be provided funding for this difference.
Supervisors
Primary Supervisor:
Professor Adam Whitworth - Department of Work, Employment & Organisation (Strathclyde Business School)
Additional Supervisors:
Laura Davis or Nerise Oldfield-Thompson, British Association for Supported Employment (BASE)
Professor Colin Lindsay - Department of Work, Employment & Organisation (Strathclyde Business School)
Apply
Number of places: 1
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Work, Employment and Organisation
Programme: Work, Employment and Organisation
Work, Employment and Organisation
Programme: Work, Employment and Organisation
Contact us
We welcome interested applicants to contact Professor Adam Whitworth (adam.whitworth@strath.ac.uk), lead supervisor, for an informal discussion.