Episode 4 Employable Me

-Tell me about your last job.

-Whoo! My last job was customer-based.

Nipple cripple!

-I have a first class honours degree.

-Why have you not got a job?

You tell me.

I want a job because it's about feeling like

part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Employers say they welcome disabled applicants.

But a million want to work,

and many have found the job hunt impossible.

What does it mean to have a job?

You achieve self-actualization,

which is demonstrated in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

In this series,

disabled job-seekers are coming together from all across the UK.

I have applied for 3,000 jobs.

Not even a thank you.

Can somebody give me a hand with the door on this side?

How you doing?

Psychologist Nancy Doyle will help the group

realise their potential in a unique training centre.

Full scale IQ, 141.

-Wow! Borderline genius, essentially.

-That's correct.

-Above average?

-Way above average.

-Me?

-Yes, you.

I've never been described as above average in anything!

Having a disability is not a barrier to employment.

Having discovered their skills,

they'll try to break into the job market.

Ten!

Fab, fantastic.

I didn't want anybody to think that I wasn't capable of doing a job.

At times like this, I do doubt me employability.

-It's called, erm...

-HE WHISTLES

Whoo! Fishy fanny! It's not called that.

I don't mind working hard.

Bring it on.

Could their differences finally be seen as a strength?

All I need is one person to see past the fact that I can't.

There are sparks of brilliance in what you've done.

The train is approaching - get on board.

-VOICEOVER:

-I want a job so I can live independently.

But sometimes you need to work with me on a bespoke basis.

Erm, erm, erm...!

Er...

26-year-old Alan is on his way to the training centre in London.

Ohh...!

Er, I don't know how far away we're from it!

D'you want to look on your phone?

Haven't got time!

Just go, all right!

46-year-old Erica will be joining him there.

-VOICEOVER:

-Other people see me as less intelligent.

Because people don't understand autism, they judge me

straight away, cos my facial expressions are a bit different.

It is frustrating because I'm hungry to learn skills

and give back to society what they've given to me.

DOORBELL RINGS

Erica and Alan are both on the autistic spectrum.

-Hi!

-Hi, erm, if you just take a seat.

They're joining a unique group of job-seekers in the hope that

they'll learn from each other.

So help yourself if you'd like a drink or anything.

Can you sit there, can you...?

-Er, yeah, yeah, if you'd prefer to sit there.

-Yeah.

So that I'm not too much in the way.

Psychologist Nancy Doyle will be running the group sessions.

People with autism need a space that isn't too

overwhelming in terms of the senses, so that they can concentrate

and that they can work on the things that they need to address

to move into employment, and they'll get better at social interaction.

Hey, everybody!

I'd never heard of the label Asperger's till I was late 20s.

It was actually Asper-ger - this is a common misconception.

I mean, there is no soft G in the German language,

so it's Asper-ger.

We see things differently.

It's not that we see things wrongly -

that's what people have got to understand and accept.

My psychology works in a different way.

How long have you been unemployed, Alan?

Well, I've never really had full-time employment.

Stop!

Alan lives with his parents in a small town in Hertfordshire.

It's a rather pleasant but little bit unremarkable, er, commuter town.

There aren't that many jobs here.

I applied for a job there, and the interview didn't go well,

partly cos I got a little bit lost on the way.

This is this sales assistant's job.

I e-mailed them, they never replied back.

They post a lot of adverts here.

I'm a graduate, I should already be working full-time by now.

Despite leaving university three years ago with a psychology degree,

Alan has struggled to find permanent work.

I've applied for over 100 jobs, erm,

most of which I didn't even get interviews for.

I feel hopeless, you know, just...

My skills are being wasted.

Autism, erm...

..gives me problems with social interaction, social understanding.

Always tend to take things quite literally.

These books are about my special interest.

This is The Times Guide To The House of Commons 1979, the year

Margaret Thatcher was first elected, quite a momentous occasion it was.

There is a constituency in Suffolk called Eye,

E-Y-E, like the eyes on your head.

The honourable member for Eye voted aye!

Get it?

-Y'all right?

-How are you?

Socialising can be challenging for Alan.

How have you been keeping?

-OUT OF BREATH

-I've been keeping...

I've been keeping OK, Elaine, I'm just...

-But I mean, I'm just...

-Are you hungry?

Er, yes, have you got something for me?

But he's formed a close relationship with his second cousin Phil

and partner Elaine.

-You've got an encyclopaedic mind.

-Yeah.

Alan's got a lot of talents.

You know, he's got an incredible intellect

and memory for figures and statistics.

D'you think you could eat all of that?

-Could you put a bit back in...?

-Yeah, sure.

-That's better.

Alan's in his 20s, and when you're young

and you've got your life ahead of you, you've got to have hope,

and if you've got no hope, erm,

it can soon become quite a bleak existence.

-How do you survive, Alan?

-It's not really a life.

You're living day-to-day, and I need an escape route somewhere.

How does it feel to be unemployed?

Hmm, it's depressing, disappointing...

Feeling rejected all the time, just because people can't understand you.

I want a job so I can feel good about myself,

I want to support myself, want to live independently.

I want to use my talents for the greater good, I want to use them...

..er, in a way which will actually help people.

I'd like a job because of my hunger to live

and exercise me potential.

Because I've never passed an interview,

I feel a lot of rejection from it.

People think I'm less intelligent

because me facial expressions are different,

me speech was very monotone,

but there wasn't such a label as Asperger's when I was a child.

I was just labelled "learning difficulties."

For most of her life, Erica's condition went undetected.

School was a very frightening place.

In me mainstream school, I would get sensory overload and I'd have...

..people, a lot of noise round me, I would just go into a meltdown.

People bullied me and teased me for being different.

It was lonely, I felt isolated.

They thought I was stupid cos me voice was very monotone.

So I worked at having a Liverpool accent

to try and sound hard, actually!

At the age of 32, Erica was finally diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.

It was a very special moment.

When a doctor said to me, "You've suffered with Asperger's,"

it was very, very special...

to me, that I was part of a group.

Sales executive.

I don't see you as a sales executive somehow.

Foster dad Patrick has watched her struggle through the past

five years of unemployment.

Cleaner, kitchen assistants, maintenance...

I did that, I wasn't very good at it.

-It's a residential centre again.

-Yeah, yeah.

-It wasn't great, was it?

And I got labelled a slow learner.

Having brought up two children, Erica went back to education

and gained a degree from Sheffield University.

People with Asperger's aren't stupid and they don't have a low IQ.

I brought me children up on me own.

I've done something right!

I've brought children up who are going to be an asset to the world.

You know, people who go out to work and pay taxes,

they've looked after me when I've brought me children up,

and I want to do my... pull my weight for society.

Yeah.

Erica's last job was a disaster.

She was with a group of people where she didn't really fit,

and they didn't understand her and her needs,

and she couldn't really adapt to what they expected and wanted.

And it knocked her confidence really badly.

"Public facing role which requires excellent people skills

"and a genuine enthusiasm for helping."

-"You must be a well-organised..."

-ERICA LAUGHS

But what it shows, Erica, is there are all sorts of jobs, aren't there?

-Yeah.

-And there will be something that is right for you.

All I want is a job that I'm employable for.

So if I could get you guys to go in the middle...

-Move a little bit so I can get through, please.

-Yeah, will do.

Thank you.

It's Alan and Erica's first day at the training centre.

Nancy wants the group to discuss their career ambitions.

We're going to take turns to sit here

and just talk about either our ideal job or a job goal.

-So, Alan, happy to go first, then?

-Yes.

My ideal job would be a psephologist.

"What is a psephologist?" you ask.

Well, a psephologist is a person who studies elections

and why people vote for particular parties or particular candidates.

And what's it called again? What-ologist?

Psephologist. S-E-P-H-O-L-O-G-I-S-T.

I'll have to write them down before I go home later.

The job-seekers have over 400 failed applications between them.

-Hi!

-Hello!

-There we go.

-Thank you, guys.

-Yes!

-Hi! How's it going?

-OK.

Nancy has brought in a team of recruitment experts to

steer them in their job search.

-You're feeling around in too big an area...

-Yeah.

-..and I think with your job search we need to narrow that.

-Yeah.

So how do you find your Asperger's affects your work in the workplace?

I'll ask a question and somebody will answer me with a face,

and I need precise words, not a face.

I'm constantly telling people, but they can't really imagine it.

They just... "Mm, she's off away with the fairies."

Everyone works a bit differently,

so for you, it's just finding an employer that knows how you work

and can adjust things accordingly for you.

-Hello, Alan.

-Hello, Alan!

-I'm Tab.

-Hello, Tab.

Do you think my handshake is strong enough? Cos I'm feeling it's not.

Yes, your handshake's strong enough.

-This is my CV.

-This is your CV.

Yes, and you've made a lot of annotations to it.

Well, only just certain things that then I can remember to ask you.

It seems to me that you've got perhaps a particular

interest on the stats and the data side of things.

Have you ever had any kind of test which demonstrates those abilities?

-Not really.

-OK...

The only sort of test I've had is the IQ test.

-It gives me a full scale IQ of 141, but...

-Which is pretty high.

-Yes.

How many applications have you actually made to the

-sorts of roles you want to do?

-Well, to all roles, I would say 155.

Right, but what about the roles that you really would like to do?

-Zero.

-OK... If you're applying for roles that you're not suited to,

you're not going to get them, and if you did get it you probably

-wouldn't be happy doing it.

-I suppose so, Tab.

Just feeling a bit depressed about the whole thing.

I think it's really difficult when you are trying to get something and

you've lost a lot of confidence, and you haven't got what you want to do.

Urgh, I suppose I'll have to give it my best shot.

Yes, exactly, and perhaps we can try and help you to do that.

-Let's speak again soon.

-We will, Tab.

-OK, great.

-Goodbye.

-Thanks very much, thank you.

-Thank you.

Tab's assessment has made me feel a bit better about it, but I still

need a bit of help to find just the right role that suits my abilities.

I've got a lot to learn for this if I'm going to get the role I want.

Social interaction can be particularly challenging for

Erica and Alan, so Nancy's arranged for some tailor-made training.

Nice to meet you, Alan and Erica.

Emily has come to guide them on the rules of the office.

I'm autistic myself, so I can use ten years of working in autism,

and being an autistic person, to sort of come together

and give you some of my tips and advice.

OK, conversation topics,

and what might or might not be appropriate for the workplace.

So have either of you got any hobbies? Alan?

Analysing elections, human rights violations and politics.

OK, politics is one to maybe avoid.

I actually do believe in talking about politics,

and I think it is having morals and standards.

People often have really strong political opinions,

and other people might not agree with them,

and in work that can be hard,

because we don't necessarily know people in work very well,

and so it might be that they become offended or upset.

So for now, we're going to move on to a body language activity.

-VOICEOVER:

-I can have issues with socialisation,

especially understanding social context.

Reading body language is particularly a problem.

I thought maybe you were at work but didn't really want to do it.

-Yeah, maybe that's another one as well.

-That's how I interpreted that.

OK, let's look at doing some practice conversations.

So, Erica, if you can start off being green,

and Alan, you're going to be purple.

-This is actually lilac, it's not purple.

-Erm, so, Alan...

-Look at the shade.

-It is a little more lilac.

-It's pink.

-And I am very green - I care for the planet.

-There we go.

So, erm, now I want you to try and have a conversation like that,

so a small-talk conversation, but without the prompts.

It's feeling pretty cold for March, don't you think?

Erm, not, not too bad, cos they say about a white Christmas,

but that's more a thing from Dickens.

It's more common for coldness in February

and it can still continue in March...

I'm going to interject.

I'm going to give you an example that we can say, right?

"I don't know, it's not as bad as it could be."

-So we're keeping it brief.

-Condensed version.

So, let's start that again.

I said, it's a bit cold for March today, isn't it?

Erm, I wouldn't say too bad for March.

Feels colder than it should, I mean, it's not winter any more.

Ah, but what have you got planned for this weekend?

Hopefully, I'll finally be going on a date for once.

OK, Alan, I'm going to interject you.

Remember, we're pretending to be at work,

so personal relationships are one of our avoid topics.

So try and think of something else that you might be doing this

weekend that isn't a date.

OK, I'm going to be analysing election results.

OK, that was great.

At the end of their first training session, the group have a

final meeting before they head off on their job search.

I am so impressed at how hard everybody's worked.

I feel like you've all put in so much effort to really

kind of learn about yourselves and each other.

You've worked so hard.

I'm really glad I came here,

because I've just been wandering around on the wrong

lines for many days, and it's finally getting on the right track.

I've learned to sort of try and see me disability as more of a gift.

I'm here to give something a little bit different

than your typical people.

I'm good at specific things,

and that could be an asset to certain employers.

Right, let me grab the door...

I can use the skills I've learned from the last two days to vastly

improve my job search and flourish and get on with my intended life.

What we've done is got them out of the starting blocks.

They now know effective ways to job search,

they now know how to sell themselves on a CV,

they now know what kind of things they should

and shouldn't say in an interview, but they have got to go

and put all of that into practice now.

They are going to have to persist.

-Can you take that? Can you?

-Yes.

After constant rejections from local employers, Alan's decided to

take the bold step of moving out of the family home to a larger city.

Can't see where I'm going! It's unwieldy!

I chose to move to the East Midlands

because of its excellent transport network, its high potential,

and its cheap housing stock.

I do feel confident about getting a job here.

I really don't need the toaster either, I'm not going to make any toast.

It is important to get a job when you're living independently

so you can look after yourself and you can make ends meet.

It's quite simple, really.

I don't want the television.

It's going to just waste electricity.

I specifically asked not to have that.

If you don't want it, you can get rid of it.

I'll pawn it for cash.

I don't need the grater either, I'm not... I don't eat cheese!

It's taking ages to move everything.

-What is this for?

-I don't know.

Right, that's the kitchen stuff...

I'll just say goodbye and good luck.

I've got to go home now.

-OK.

-And I'll be back when you want me.

-All right, see you soon.

Today has been one of the most important days in my life.

I'm feeling liberated, I'm feeling ready to move on from where I was

and actually get somewhere for once.

"We're looking for someone to join our collective,

"currently all women, to share all tasks

"and responsibilities in this busy high street business.

"Four days, including frequent weekends."

In Merseyside, Erica's been looking for work.

I've heard there's a vacancy in a radical book shop

that's very up my street -

got my socialist, feminist principles.

"First part of the application form is for you to fill in your contact

"details, then we ask you to answer the other questions that follow."

Hang on, erm...

But the process is proving a challenge.

How do you click it?

SHE CLICKS THE MOUSE

I don't think I saved it.

I think I've got to start again now.

I am not the most au fait with everything in this hi-tech age.

SHE WHIMPERS

Making me feel anxious...

If I see something I'm not expecting, I can have a...

I can have a meltdown and really doubt meself and go on a downer.

Times like this, when I feel stupid, I do doubt me employability.

ELECTRIC RAZOR BUZZES

I don't think I can shave that off.

Not properly.

I'll try.

RAZOR BUZZES

Spurred on by his time at the training centre,

Alan has got an interview with the local council.

I've been to lots of interviews before.

Just need to make sure I can maintain eye contact.

This can be done with training.

The council are recruiting temporary staff for the local elections.

I have excellent mathematical skill, also I can count very fast

and I can, I can al... I can also maintain secrecy, and make...

And spot even the slightest error.

I don't find doing ties easy, cos it's just

so awkward to get the loop round.

I generally do the simplest of knots.

Aww, not again!

Ohhh...

This can take me as much as 40 minutes!

It's just stupid!

They didn't have them before the Industrial Revolution anyway!

Oh, you know what? Forget it!

HE GRUNTS

Finished.

How do I look?

Yep, let me get my jacket please.

What are the key things

that you need to remember to do well at this interview?

Showcase my knowledge,

maintain eye contact...

don't go off on a tangent.

-Hello, Alan.

-H-Hello, I-I am indeed Alan,

it's a pleasure to see you.

-It's a pleasure to meet you.

-What's your name?

-My name is Julie Hicks...

-Right.

-..and I'm the human resources manager

-for Rushcliffe Borough Council.

-Oh. Ah, yes.

Good to meet you.

Indeed. Lovely artworks these children have made.

-I know.

-They're wonderful.

-Very impressive.

Especially since they're so young.

The reason I want to work in an elections team is

because I am very interested in politics, elections and voting,

and how the whole process works.

And I've also got strong attention to detail,

and it certainly helps with the counting

and with spotting these little errors.

In the letter I was given,

I noticed a few small errors

that I need to poi-poi-point out,

given that even a slight error can affect

the result of our selection.

This should be B, that should be C, um,

this should be II and this should be III.

That second A should be B,

that B should be C and that C should be D.

Excellent.

I can give you a job on the communications team as well,

for proofreading!

It is particularly important in elections

-to act in accordance with the procedures.

-That's correct.

As set out in the Representation of the People Act 1983.

You can find this all on

the Local Government Boundary Commission for England website.

It's www.lgbce.org.uk,

and you look in Current and Past Reviews.

Thank you very much.

I managed to look at them most of the time.

I maintained good eye contact with them.

It's important not to stare, though.

-Thank you.

-Thank you, Alan.

My pleasure. Goodness me, that is firm!

THEY LAUGH

Very strong one!

I'm feeling very confident and happy,

because I'm feeling I'll do very well in this field indeed,

and I've had an excellent interview.

Erica has finally heard back from the local book shop.

"We are sorry to inform you that your application

"has not been successful."

It can be very soul destroying, looking for...

looking for work.

Because I hate rejection.

I worked very hard on the application.

People who have been out of work for a long time might have had

several knockbacks, and they might be feeling that they don't

have any skills, they might be doubting what they think

they know about their strengths and their assets.

For most of her life, Erica was told she had learning difficulties,

which seriously damaged her confidence.

Nancy is assessing her skills in the hope that

this might focus her job hunt.

OK, what I want you to do is simply repeat what I'm saying.

Two, three,

two, five, six, eight.

Two, three, two,

five, six, eight.

What is a ballad?

A ballad, it's a lyrical tune that tells a story.

In what way are electricity and water both alike?

To do with current.

What does the word onomatopoeia mean?

It means like a sound noise, like snap, crackle and pop.

So, you've got quite a few things that are above average.

Overall, your verbal skills are between superior and very superior.

-Oh, wow.

-So, that, I mean, 127,

that's slightly higher than the average IQ of somebody with a PHD.

-Right.

-So, it's a really strong, strong skill.

-Wow!

Quite chuffed about that.

Good, I'm glad you're chuffed. You should be.

So, I've got an exceptional talent!

Erica has had a really hard time,

but she really does have some outstanding ability.

She's an intelligent woman.

There is absolutely no reason why Erica can't be thriving

and really contributing to society through her work.

I love to hear something a little bit exciting about myself,

because people have sort of just pushed me to one side,

like I'm nothing, because I was a bit different.

But I've got to be employable for something.

BBC RADIO PIPS

It's seven o'clock on Thursday, 4 May.

The news headlines this morning.

Voters are going to the polls across Britain in 88 local council

elections, and in contest...

I'm feeling very excited indeed.

I'm feeling very elated and so... and so...

and so pleased.

After impressing the council at his interview,

Alan has been offered a few days' paid work as an election clerk.

I'm finally getting some work in an atmosphere which will use

my tremendous amount of political knowledge and election statistics.

It will give me the chance to really make a difference.

You will be accepting ballot boxes from polling stations.

It's very important that you check in

everything that they're supposed to have brought back.

You don't let them go until everything is in.

It's pretty basic, what we're doing tonight, so...

It is very basic, but it gets quite busy and quite rushed.

-I think I know what I'm doing here.

-Good.

-VOICEOVER:

-I'm feeling very good about this.

I mean, it can't be that difficult, being the checker.

Until now, Alan has ever experienced being part of a team at work.

Er, hello.

-That's number...

-Number 18.

-18.

Brown and black sacks here.

The ballot box... Yes, we need to mark that up...

-The ballot box, obviously, yeah.

-OK?

-Tick.

-And postal votes in the yellow box.

-Yeah, it's good to go.

They're arriving quite thick and fast.

-Yes.

-Have you noticed the queue?

-Postal envelopes in this...

-Let's go steady...

-..in the yellow box, please.

-..just so I can make sure I get these.

So, 29...

-Yes, 29.

-Can I have it, please?

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

And please, pass that over to Craig in the yellow box.

-And we're finished.

-We're done! Good work.

Before starting the election count,

Alan has a chance to try out the small talk he learnt

at the training centre.

I'm... I'm old enough to be a father, in case you ask.

-How old are you?

-26.

Well, I didn't have my daughter until I was 40.

-So...

-That makes you, um...

55 or something?

No, I'm coming up 50.

Oh, oh, it's a... Oh, right, yes.

-Sorry, I thought your daughter was a teen, but...

-No, she's nine.

-..she's only ten, by the looks of it.

-Yeah.

I'd rather not wait until I'm in my 40s, thank you.

-Yeah.

-Well...

-It's not always a choice thing, though.

-No.

Get counting.

It is very important to make sure the election

is conducted in a free, fair, honest and democratic manner,

and to make sure all results can be verified and affirmed.

That one looks doubtful, it's not been marked very well.

It's been marked pretty poorly.

-These are actually Labour votes.

-Oh, are they?

-Yes.

Can you pass me a red slip? You just put the wrong slip on it.

-I'll double-check it anyway.

-OK.

This was a... Sue filled it in, not realising

it was actually for the Labour candidate.

-Oh, right, OK.

-I've double-checked all that.

Look at where the cross is. Look.

After completing the count, it's time for Alan to get feedback

on his first job in his new town.

Would you like to come and get some feedback on your work

placement from Alan and I?

-Yes, I would. Um...

-OK, just come this way?

-Yes.

You are extremely capable,

and therefore, you see something that's wrong and I think it's

a natural instinct for you to bring it to people's attention.

There are different, subtle ways of pointing out to people quietly

that you've spotted something and checking that they know that.

There was only one error I needed to spot,

I mean, and it could have potentially affected the result.

It's just something that you've just got to be a little bit aware of,

within a team environment.

Yes, so, I've never really had much of an opportunity to work

-in a team environment.

-No.

But we would say to you, the positive side,

you've done that very well overall.

I've got skills no-one else has got.

Practically.

In terms of personal feedback, I would like to see you smarten up

just that little bit more.

Well, how do you mean?

Standards of dress and standards of...

What standards do I not meet at the moment?

Like, you're wearing a-a-a cardigan.

But I need somewhere to carry my phone, though.

Yes, so think about a tie or a very smart shirt.

-I have major difficulties with ties, though.

-Hm.

-If you've got somebody who can help you...

-I don't.

-Yeah.

Well, they're small but important points, Alan.

-VOICEOVER:

-Maybe they've got a point.

They're just being honest, you know.

As long as it's constructive and honest criticism, I can take it.

I'm feeling pretty good about the future.

I'd like it to start quickly, though.

-Hello, Alan.

-Hello, Grace.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thank-thank you.

-Good.

It's been eight weeks since their last training session,

and the job-seekers have returned to London.

So then the next part of the brain to develop was the cortex.

Nancy's arranged specific sessions tailored to their individual needs.

-Did you have a work trial?

-I did.

-Hm-mm.

My work trial was with Rushcliffe Borough Council.

-And did you do anything in the local elections?

-Yes.

It was a very good count. I counted quite efficiently and quickly.

-Hm-mm.

-I spotted just one mistake.

-Hm-mm.

I pointed it out a bit too loudly

and they said I could have been a bit more tactful about it.

-They said sometimes I was a bit over-enthusiastic.

-Hm-mm.

And that I need to comb my hair a bit.

So is that something that you have enough information to work on,

or do you want to do a bit more on that?

The problem is because I didn't bother properly combing my hair.

I think sometimes, you know, the first day of work, in any job can be

as important as the interview, and it's kind of just a message to think

about it is to always be really mindful of the appearance

issues and kind of, you know, brushing your hair before...

I haven't got a comb or a hair brush. I need to buy one.

You most certainly do, that's very important.

Understanding appropriate dress in the workplace can be

particularly for people on the autistic spectrum.

Please do take a seat. Sorry, that's terrible language - sit down.

To help in their job hunt, Nancy has organised a further

session for Alan and Erica with Emily.

All right, so, Erica, what would the expectations in work be for hair?

-Neat, tidy, clean hair.

-Neat, tidy, clean hair.

-You can fry chips in my hair some mornings.

-Can you?

-Yes!

So, we're going to need to shower at least every other day,

and then brush

before leaving home.

You might not like it,

but it is something that you are expected to do within work.

This is a lot to think about. Any questions from you, Alan?

-Um... Not at this stage, Emily.

-Fantastic!

Before I came here, I was of the opinion that appearance really

didn't matter, and that you should listen to what someone says,

anyway, particularly because appearances can be deceiving,

and this is how conmen get rich quick.

You've got to put yourself in someone else's shoes, effectively.

Most of the group are still unemployed, so Nancy's brought

in a team of specialist recruiters to help broaden their search.

There's loads of kind of choice available, if you do the training...

..and she's the director...

So what kind of thing are you looking for, Alan?

I'm a data analyst.

Despite her hard work, Erica is yet to find a job.

-Hiya.

-Nice to meet you.

-How are you today?

-Er, good. Yeah, yeah.

Nancy has set up a meeting with Marks & Spencer.

They run a work placement scheme, in partnership with Remploy.

It's essentially a programme to help people get into work.

We essentially scrap the interview

and we say you don't need to do that, but come and join us

for two weeks, three weeks, and we want to see what you can do.

We need amazing people like yourself to come

and interact with customers and talk about the products.

Do I have a go on the till and everything?

So you'll be doing all parts of what the customer assistant role is,

so how does that sound to you?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah? So what I'll do is...

'I'd give a trial a go just to see, really,'

what I'd be like in the retail world.

Erica has been sort of, you know, battling this negativity,

and what I'm really hoping is that the validation that she's

received from...from not just me,

but from her peers, from the interviewer

and from everyone she's interacted with,

that that validation will give her an extra boost.

The hard work does start now.

So what are you getting a haircut done today, for, then?

-In preparation for job interviews.

-Oh, OK.

Taking advice from the training centre,

Alan is smartening up his appearance.

What do they say, imagine them without their clothes on,

it makes it easier!

That doesn't actually work!

It looks good to me. I'd give you a job, definitely.

Yes. I'm not planning to work in a barbers', though!

-You are looking dapper, Alan!

-Thank you very much.

Sorry - it itches a bit.

In Merseyside, Erica's friend Caroline is helping her get

ready for a significant day.

Go on, then, try your coat on, let's have a look, let's see what it looks like on you.

-Yeah.

-The full effect.

Fantastic. Ah, you look fab, don't you?

Let's have a look. Oh! Fab.

-Fantastic.

-Well, I've got my work uniform on.

It feels strange, really.

I can feel the reality happening.

This could be the start of something really big.

If Erica's four-week trial is a success,

it could mean an end to her six years of unemployment.

It is daunting, working in a big department store, because I don't

always read body language

so I don't always know what people really think of me.

-Hi, Erica.

-Hi!

-You all right?

-Yes.

-Very smart in your uniform.

-Let's go.

-All right.

If she's to have any chance of getting a job,

she will need to impress the recruitment coordinator.

-So now we're on the second floor.

-I've bought a few bras from here.

Oh, very good. So that's where you can go...

-I think I've got a Marks' bra on.

-So have I! Come this way. Come on.

We'll go down and have a look on the ground floor.

Standards are high. It's a big store.

We expect an awful lot from our staff,

and I think that some of the challenge is

getting to know our customers, getting to know our stock, I think

that's part of the learning curve, for Erica to be able to fulfil that.

-This is Roma, your buddy.

-Hiya. Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you as well.

I'm going to hand you over to these lovely girls and they'll look after you. Thank you. See you later.

-See you later.

-You've got your book, have you? Yes. OK. See you later.

Erica starts on the shop floor, sorting out the stock.

So as you see there, that's a bit of a mess at the minute, so you would

be putting everything back into size and making sure that they've

got one of these on, and that's called a pip.

Why can't I find a 20?

What other one is it we're looking for?

Ooh!

-Oh, dear.

-Sorry.

-Ooh!

-It happens to all of us.

-Yeah.

-Shall I put them on the counter?

They're quite safe on the counter. No-one'll knock them.

-Are they safe there?

-Hopefully.

-Right. OK.

They just dropped out my hand - me trying to be too clever for my own good.

You're doing really good, Erica. Brilliant.

-I like what you're doing there.

-Oh, thank you!

-Yeah.

I like to feel I'm a bit of use.

Oh.

It must be hard for her, coming in to a workplace like this.

I think it is a confidence thing

and maybe these four weeks will bring out the confidence in Erica.

In four weeks' time you'll see a different person.

After applying for dozens of jobs,

one of Alan's leads has finally come through.

I think I'm looking just right for this role, and hopefully, this'll

lead on to an actual career, because they could really use my skills.

Ah.

Oh, you tie it like that, I think.

Um...

And we're finished.

People who aren't autistic,

they claim we're the ones with the obsessional attention to detail,

yet they get finicky about things being slightly out of place!

Alan's been offered a three-day work placement at one of the UK's

-leading energy suppliers.

-I'm really excited about this.

I'm having wonderful feelings of elation.

If he can prove his worth to the company,

it could lead to a permanent job.

I want them to see my wonderful talents and look at those

rather than just the disadvantages that autistic people have.

It's very important that this goes as planned

and that it leads me somewhere.

This international power company employs

over 5,000 people in the East Midlands.

My team is responsible for how we support our customers

who are having difficulty with their payments.

It's all about using statistics and segmentation models

-and all that kind of thing.

-Excellent.

-Is there anything that you'd like to ask?

-Um...yeah, yes.

How much investment does e-on make into the increasingly

important renewable energy market?

Cos this is going to come increasingly important as time

goes by.

I believe £1.8 billion over the last five years.

I'm very pleased about that.

-How many customers?

-900,000, from memory.

It's a lot of customer information.

Alan has been given the task of analysing customer data,

which he'll later present to senior management.

I think we should remove customers in columns I to J.

And how many have got an energy rating that matches the potential...

I've found 5,000 of them.

5,282.

You need to be more specific, I'm afraid.

What do you mean?

-You need to say an exact number, rather than just around.

-Oh, OK.

-No problem.

-5,282.

-OK.

I'm feeling rather at ease, and I love working with this data.

The presentation bit is what I've really got to get right.

That's easier said than done.

-Hello, there. Do you want a bag?

-No, it's all right, I've got one.

Fair enough.

Erica is partway through her four-week work trial.

That's lovely, thanks very much. Have a nice afternoon.

After a hesitant start,

her next job is to help serve customers at the tills.

I'll scan them and then you can fold them. There you go.

I'll just fold them up for you nicely.

Communication is a big challenge for Erica and we're aware of that.

There is a lot at stake. Is this the right job for Erica to do?

Is this the right environment to put her in?

At the end of the placement, that's what we'll have to decide.

-Are you visiting?

-Yeah. We're from Australia, yeah.

-Oh, nice!

I quite like The Seekers.

Sorry?

You know the original Seekers, the group, they were from Australia.

-I sing a lot of their stuff.

-We're from West Australia.

Oh, I'm glad you're having a nice time. Thanks.

Bye-bye.

-I wonder if they thought I was mad telling them that.

-No, not at all!

The original Seekers were from Australia.

People say I sound like Judith Durham from The Seekers.

-Would you like a bag?

-Er, no, thank you, I've got one.

-Oh, sound, OK.

-Oh, lovely. You've given me £20.

-That's it.

I have surprised myself cos I didn't think I'd cope

quite as well as I did.

-Here's your receipt.

-Thanks very much. Thank you.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Getting a job that I'm employable for would mean the world to me.

I don't want my life to be sort of just this dead end, I want it to...

I want to prosper and blossom.

Alan is nearing the end of his work placement at the energy company.

After analysing customer data,

he now has to present his findings to the team.

I need to make the best impression I can on the teams

who are viewing this presentation, and to make sure I give them

good opportunities to ask relevant questions.

If he's to have any chance of securing a job at the company,

Alan will need to impress a room full of senior management.

Let's begin, huh?

We started with the 885,000 customers in the East

and West Midlands...

Sorry, could I ask you just to move slightly backwards

and to your left, cos you're blocking the screen at the moment.

OK.

Right, and we got a final result of 14,236 customers we can help.

We used a Venn diagram to construct how many would need more than

-one of these measures.

-I'm a non-technical person.

My question for you is, did you...have you found anything

in the last couple of days in your research... Is there any

-learning for e-on?

-Ye-yes.

We had to change all the Ys and Ns to zeros and ones

because one's yes in binary, zero's for no,

and from that we could get sums and averages instantly in the Excel

data sheet without having to use any formulae,

so we could have a quicker method.

It's best to substitute the Ys and Ns for binary code when we can.

-Any last questions before we wrap up?

-Not for me.

Thank you very much, everyone.

Thank you, Alan.

My biggest hope is that I've impressed the team

with my analytical skills and they'll give me a job.

The worst situation is that I wouldn't get

a job at the end of it and I'd be back to square one again.

The time has come for Alan to find out

if he has a future at the company.

We'll start off by asking how you found the experience overall.

I found it a very exhilarating, relaxing experience, I can tell you.

Fair enough!

What do you think are the things that have gone really well?

The presentation

and my ability to work proactively with your data insight team.

So you haven't worked in our industry before, you haven't worked

with some of the tools we've been using, and you rose to the

challenge of it, but there's still an awful lot for you to learn.

I have a couple of things to share as well,

which are more around the presentation piece.

I felt you were talking at the room rather than necessarily

really engaging closely...

It's actually very difficult with this sort of presentation.

It's not the right style voice, I'm afraid, Rob.

Well, with any feedback, you're more than welcome to park it

and say that's not for me.

The situation we're in at the moment is that we don't have

any direct vacancies.

But given that you've only been with us a few days,

you have definitely shown that you have the

potential for a career as a data analyst, and we really look forward

to seeing applications from you when we have vacancies in the future.

-I understand. Well, thank you for your time.

-Thank you.

Thank you.

I would describe it as a bittersweet experience.

Even though I wasn't offered a job, which would have been ideal,

I felt I'd done my best here.

The good news is they said I had potential.

Are you ever going to give up on finding a job?

Well, you can't, really. Come on! Unless I had some sort of windfall.

With her month-long trial over, Erica's about to find out

-if she's done enough to get back into employment.

-Oh, hello, Erica!

-Come in.

-Hiya.

-Take a seat.

-VOICEOVER:

-I do feel nervous about discovering the reality about...

as to whether I've done well in these last few weeks, you know,

because, basically, I'm 46, I haven't got for ever.

I do feel I've given it my all and that's all I can do.

How do you think you've done over these last four weeks?

I surprised myself, how I've performed.

-More than I gave myself credit for.

-Yeah.

Obviously, there's an awful lot that you can improve on.

The tasks that we give you on the shop floor,

just processing them at a quicker pace,

take that as a future reference for any other jobs.

But timekeeping has been great over the four weeks that you've been

here, and also, your communication's improved an awful lot.

And on that note, I would really like to say to you, which I'm

so proud of saying, that we can offer you a vacancy.

Yes!

Oh!

So, well done, Erica, and that's all through your hard work,

and that's all well done to you, so...

-Are you pleased?

-Yeah!

-Yeah?

So well done! And that's the hard work...

That's all I can say to you, well done, I'm so proud of you

and you should be proud of yourself.

Thanks!

-And we look forward to working with you.

-Yeah, yeah.

-So I can celebrate tonight.

-Celebrate tonight. Not too much!

But you can celebrate tonight, yes.

I'm feeling really ecstatic, I can't believe that I've got a job

and one I really believe I'm employable for.

It's amazing! I didn't think anyone was ever going to employ me.

I thought I was going to be just a pensioner who's done very little work.

Erica's keen to share the news with foster dad Patrick.

-So they offered me the job.

-They offered you the job?

-Yeah!

-Erica!

-Oh, fantastic!

-Yeah!

Oh, that's really great. Oh, this is wonderful.

-Yeah, I'm ecstatic at it. I'm over the moon.

-Yeah. Excellent.

It wasn't about me, it was about pulling my weight.

-Yes, I know that about you.

-Yeah.

You've always wanted to contribute your part to society, always.

-I have, yeah. I've always had a conscience.

-Yeah.

I want to be an asset, not a liability.

Isn't it lovely to have someone who gets

so much joy about contributing to society and being a taxpayer?

That's wonderful, isn't it? It's one of the great things about her.

Cheerio, Erica. And well done. That was brilliant! I'm really pleased.

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye.

-Thanks. Bye.

I'm looking forward to this big world in front of me, really.

It's a start. Waited a long time for this big start.

Excellent! Just going to get my name badge, which I need. There we go.

And we're set.

Four months after his job trial,

Alan's persistence has finally paid off.

I got a telephone interview for this job,

I passed the telephone interview and I started here on Wednesday.

I felt elated, I felt relieved, I felt so pleased I'd got it

and I felt this is an important step forward.

He's found a job, in the energy company's accounts department.

-The parking receipt's missing for this one, unfortunately.

-Oh, is it?

It should... I mean, it must have got lost.

What I do is order the expenses of 10,000 UK employees.

I check the envelopes, the receipts, whether the records match,

and approve them so that their expenses can be repaid.

It has to be done carefully.

Done the last one of this pile.

-Where are your completed ones that you've done today?

-They're here.

You're holding them right now.

I think I'm doing very well.

They're very impressed with the way I've been able to clear

much of the backlog.

When you're done with them,

then, bring them round and then I'll file them away for you, yeah?

Yes, indeed. I just need to click "pass".

-I'm going to store these in the cupboard.

-OK.

Pass them to Lou and she'll be able to show you.

I know where they go.

Is this is where you place... That's not... Where...

What do you place in here?

His mathematical skills are phenomenal,

he has managed to clear a huge backlog that we had

for expenses, which he seems really proud of, so that's really great.

For the first time, Alan has started full-time employment.

I do feel part of the team.

I've already been invited to a birthday meal

of one of my colleagues.

I'm certainly very proud to be working

here in an analyst-type job and to be progressing with my career.

My life is back on track, and it's certainly going forwards.