Sarah works as a Job Coach Mentor in United Response’s supported employment services in Cornwall, and has been with us for over 11 years.

She works alongside 20 other mentors and six tutors to support a cohort of 40 young people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health towards paid employment, via a programme of skills development, work experience and internship.

As part of her role as a Job Coach Mentor, Sarah undertook some professional development in Level 3 Certificate for Supported Employment Practitioners 2022 to improve the support she was able to give her students. The qualification, provided by BASE, involved six units of study over seven months.

Job Coach Mentor Sarah Dixon at work
Award winner: Sarah Dixon at work

Making an impact

In November 2022, Sarah was shortlisted for the Learner of the Year award at The British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) conference 2022, which was held in Leeds.

Sarah was delighted to have successfully won the award, to the delight of colleagues and family in attendance at the glitzy awards presentation evening.

It is so nice to be recognised. I really enjoyed the job coaching sessions, and the things I’ve learnt are already benefiting my students. The event was a really special occasion to celebrate with colleagues and family.

Sarah Dixon

The assessors on this course were continually impressed by her contribution to discussions, portfolio of evidence and how she was applying what she learnt to the benefit of her students.

Sarah has been a joy to see in the classroom and to assess her work and she shows herself to be a very strong, enthusiastic, creative and dedicated practitioner.

Liz Mellor, BASE Assessor

Sarah has cerebral palsy, and so was respected by her students as someone who really understood the barriers placed in the way of people with disabilities to achieving their employment goals.