Thinking about life after college or university can feel daunting, especially if you have a chronic illness or long-term health condition. You might be looking for an exciting career that matches your skill level and experience, but perhaps you’re struggling to find suitably ambitious roles that are part-time, home-based, or with understanding employers.
If you’re looking for inclusive opportunities to fit around your condition management, Astriid is here to help. We’re a UK-based charity, and we know that the world of work is missing out on a huge talent pool of disabled people – especially those with chronic illness and Energy Limiting Conditions.
How Does It Work?
- Head to our homepage and ‘register your skills’ as a candidate. You can also upload your CV or LinkedIn page if you wish.
- One of our friendly candidate co-ordinators will get in touch and arrange a meeting with you. This person will be your point of contact throughout the job-matching process.
- Our team will help you to identify your ambitions, and the steps you can take to get there. This may include interview coaching, CV feedback sessions, inclusive training and upskilling opportunities, or mentoring from industry professionals. Alternatively, you may feel you’re immediately ready to find paid work.
- Whenever you’re ‘work-ready’, we’ll connect you with suitable roles from amazing employers, and you’ll be invited to apply. These employers are specifically looking to recruit diverse talent, and we offer support to both individuals and organisations throughout the recruitment and job-matching process.
- Our candidate co-ordinators will still be within reach if you need them, but now you’re ready to begin your new role and embark on an exciting career!
About Us
Astriid helps bridge the gap between the Invisible Talent Pool (people with long-term health conditions who wish to pursue volunteering or employment), and the UK skills crisis.
Founded by David Shutts OBE in 2017, following his cancer diagnosis, we believe that the value of work goes far beyond the wages paid. Employment provides routine, a sense of normality, challenges and rewards, and can greatly improve a person’s quality of life.
We support individuals at all stages of their ‘work-ready’ journey and help them secure meaningful work. We also conduct game-changing research, offer consultancy and training for employers, create resources for individuals and businesses, and advocate for more inclusivity in employment and recruitment.
Student & Graduate Webinars
We have run many webinars designed with students and graduates in mind, and recordings of some of these are available for free on our YouTube channel.
Research Findings
In 2021, we authored our game-changing report, Employment And Long-Term Illness: The Invisible Talent Pool. We focussed specifically on the challenges facing people with chronic illness in employment and recruitment, identified as:
- A lack of flexible, inclusive roles to apply for
- Challenges with disclosing health conditions during recruitment and onboarding
- Securing reasonable adjustments for job roles
- Maintaining work-life balance alongside the toll of managing their condition
- A lack of information and training specifically about chronic and long-term illness for employers and line managers
For more findings, statistics, and quotes from individuals who took part in the questionnaire, you can download the full report for free.
Success Stories
Here at Astriid, we’ve helped many individuals enter or return to the world of work. You may be interested in our playlist of Success Stories!