Dyslexia in the workplace

The Language and Literacy Unit (LLU+) at South Bank University and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's Directorate of Environmental Health have formed a recent partnership in a European Social Fund (ESF) project designed to help remove a key barrier to learning for many food handlers.

The funding has been awarded by the London Central Learning and Skills Council. The project aims to support 750 adults in relation to dyslexia, particularly those working in care homes, food premises, leisure and hospitality.

They will be provided with free dyslexia screening, individual feedback, additional assessments as appropriate and ongoing support to enable the achievement of Level 2 qualifications (for example: Level 2 Awards in Food Safety or Health and Safety in the Workplace).

The project will provide awareness raising and support for 350 employers with an emphasis on the benefits of a dyslexia friendly work environment.

Other partners in this project are North Central London Care Consortium and Careconnect Learning.

The small businesses to benefit will be in the Royal Borough, Westminster, Camden, Islington, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth.

Small business owners may have employees that would benefit from this valuable support. It will be particularly useful for English speaking managers and staff who are unable to cope with written food safety and health and safety information sent to or put in front of them because they do not like to admit (or are even aware) that there is an issue with dyslexia which affects their business.

Approximately 10 per cent of the UK's population is dyslexic.

This project will help trainers, enforcement officers and owners of businesses with some way to complying with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

It will also improve standards for employees who may otherwise feel themselves socially excluded through no fault of their own. For further information please contact hygienesafety.training@rbkc.gov.uk or luplus@lsbu.ac.uk.