Damien Caldwell, Digitisation & Web Consultant at DAMGEO, explained how the project has evolved.
“In 2019, the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) put out a call for businesses to come up with proposals to help support young people with ASD into paid employment, a concern identified by the Department for the Economy. Following a competitive tender process, we secured funding to carry out research which in turn lead to the development of KLEOS.”
KLEOS is a digital solution designed to improve young people’s employability. Funded through the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and supported by the Careers Service - Department for the Economy (DfE), it provides a toolkit to identify available jobs that match their abilities and, by learning from their system interactions, the programme will offer personalised support and guidance, cognisant of their specific needs, to help them secure employment.
The software is suitable for all 11-18 year olds and will provide additional support for young people with autism (ASD), continued Damien.
“KLEOS can shape learning around people with special needs. Based on their interactions with the learning content, it will provide them with contextual support, motivation and de-stressing techniques.
“Getting into the employment market can be difficult but for someone with ASD it is even more difficult. Many autistic people are very capable and willing to work, yet the number of young people with ASD in meaningful paid employment is shockingly low. Only 21.7% of autistic people are in either full or part-time employment, even though the majority want to work.”
He added that while some people with ASD may lack social and communication skills, employers should look beyond the limitations faced by people with ASD as many have incredible skills and talents with a lot to contribute.
“They can bring unique qualities and diverse perspectives to the workplace but, since social interactions can be challenging for them, many don’t even get past the interview stage. KLEOS is designed to help them get over that hurdle.”
According to Damien, KLEOS will help unlock employment opportunities for young people, particularly those with ASD. Recognising that career guidance is often limited because of scarce resources, the software will also provide careers teachers and advisors with a dashboard summary of valuable data so they can help their students make more informed decisions on career choices and different employment options are open to them.
DAMGEO was established by Damien in 2017 and after two years, his wife Colleen joined the company as a consultant.
They have drawn on their combined experience in both the education and digital technologies sectors to develop KLEOS. Before joining Northern Regional College as Head of Digital Learning and Transformation, Damien was a Digital Education Consultant for the US software company VERINT, while Colleen previously worked as HCM (Human Capital Management) consultant with software development company, Kainos so they are familiar with the challenges of introducing new software in a work environment.
“The pilot release of KLEOS is a significant milestone for DAMGEO and we hope that young people, particularly those with ASD will be able use it to access and complete the learning content so they can get the jobs they want and will enjoy.”
KLEOS will be piloted by Transtition2Work students at Northern Regional College from February and expanded to Childcare and Health Care students at Magherafelt.
Jennifer McFadden, Curriculum Manager of Inclusive Learning at the College said: “The app will be such a great help to all students, especially our Transition2Work students who are preparing to progress to employment later this year.”
Transition2Work is a one year full-time course for students who may experience learning difficulties, including those with ASD. It prepares them for employment and/or further education courses.