A 21-YEAR-OLD who has Asperger’s syndrome has found a new lease of independence thanks to an Oxfordshire employment scheme which helps the vulnerable get into paid employment.

As part of Asperger’s distinctive nature, somebody with the condition may face difficulties in socialising and non-verbal communication such as eye contact and reading body language.

Luke Parsons, who is diagnosed with the condition, said that prior to getting his current job through Oxfordshire Employment, he did not speak much and spent a lot of his time at home sitting watching television or playing on his games console.

Oxfordshire Employment is an initiative set up by the county council with the aim of helping to support people with disabilities to work.

The scheme is funded to help offer support to anybody who has barriers getting a job.

Teams of employment advisors work across the county to help the people who have joined the scheme develop key work skills, seek employment and get paid work.

Mr Parsons is part of the scheme and initially found a position working in a school kitchen, as part of an internship scheme that the service offers.

Since September 2017, the Kidlington resident has been working in the kitchens at Pembroke College, which is part of Oxford University and boasts notable alumni such as politician Michael Heseltine and ex-master Roger Bannister.

Mr Parsons said: “I didn’t speak much before, but I do now – we all get along at work and we have a great laugh.

“I must admit I’d never heard of Pembroke College before I came to work here. The staff are all friendly and help me a lot.

“It’s a great place.”

He added: “Before I came to work here I’d spend a lot of time at home sitting watching TV or on my Xbox.

“Now I feel much more independent and confident.

“I work shifts. Sometimes it can be 8am to 4pm, other times 12pm until 9pm or 2pm to 10pm.

“I am enjoying my work and I know my mum and family are proud of me.”

Mr Parson’s employment advisor from Oxfordshire Employment, Gary Peacock, works with Mr Parson’s closely and said: “Luke passed his probationary period and is doing well.

“His horizons have been broadened and you can see the difference in him.

“When I started to work with him there was a chance his family was going to have to uproot from Kidlington to elsewhere in Oxfordshire, it was a very uncertain time for him.

“He’d have been moving away from everything he knew and a pending paid job.

“I helped the family with a supporting statement, to assist their housing claim to make the case for staying in the area.

“Luke is a great example of the type of work we do at Oxfordshire Employment and it’s wonderful that an organisation with a global profile like Oxford University is involved with us and has done such a good job working with Luke."

He added: “It goes against the stereotype some people might have of the university somehow being aloof.

“Our experience while working with everyone at Pembroke College has been the total opposite.

“The staff I have worked with at Pembroke College have a great ethos for encouraging, supporting and enriching the learning experience at work.”

“It’s not just the university. We have built up long term relationships with many local employers, who employ people that we have introduced and supported."

In the past year, Oxfordshire Employment helped 41 people with a disability or health condition get paid employment.

Pembroke College head of catering Kevin Dudley said that Mr Parsons had quickly proved himself as a 'committed and valued member of the team'.

He said: "Having worked with Luke, and Oxfordshire Employment, to help him settle in to our kitchen, we are delighted with the contribution which he now makes.”