We are looking for local partners who wish to benefit from high quality tele-research services alongside the creation of demonstrable local social impact, delivered through a Viewpoint Hub office.

A Viewpoint Hub delivers our service from your premises, enabling you to benefit from local employment outcomes of people with disabilities or other disadvantages in the workplace, such as the long-term unemployed. These staff benefit from our 10 years of experience in this sector, and we invest heavily in meeting their support and training needs. We ensure the service remains professional, independent and properly managed.

We have created two Hubs to date, in Leeds and Doncaster in partnership with RNIB and St Leger Homes of Doncaster respectively.

Viewpoint in Leeds

Our Leeds hub office was developed in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

In Leeds we employ a team of blind and partially sighted research assistants. We also offer temporary trainee placements to give blind and partially sighted people the opportunity to gain some experience of work in an office environment.

Sean Owen, RNIB UK Employment Manager said: “Social enterprise provides another method of supporting blind and partially sighted people into employment. The partnership with Viewpoint has flourished, with mutual benefit to both organisations.”

Muz Hussain is a Senior Researcher based in Leeds. He is partially sighted and joined Viewpoint in 2009 following a year as a trainee on RNIB’s trainee grade scheme which assists blind and partially sighted people into paid employment.

He said: “After losing my job I lost all my confidence and I felt very depressed. This also had a big impact on my family, seeing me upset and not knowing what the future was going to hold. Now, I really enjoy working for Viewpoint. I have progressed to being a senior researcher and it has given a big boost to my confidence.”

Viewpoint in Doncaster

We opened our Doncaster hub office in May 2012 – a partnership development with St Leger Homes of Doncaster.

The Doncaster office has a particular focus on creating new job opportunities in Doncaster for the long term unemployed. It was officially opened in June 2012 by MPs Rosie Winterton and Caroline Flint.

Doncaster Central MP Rosie Winterton said: “It’s important to empower organisations like Viewpoint because they help equip people with the skills and confidence they need to break out of long-term unemployment.”

Don Valley MP Caroline Flint said: “It is vital that employers play their part in giving people second chances to retrain, gaining experience or confidence in work. St Leger Homes’ work with Viewpoint is an example to other employers about what can be achieved.”

Susan Jordan, chief executive of St Leger Homes, said: “We are working with Viewpoint to help create job opportunities in the town for local tenants and residents, helping those who have been out of work for a long time to get back into the world of work. They are doing an excellent job carrying out independent tenant surveys for us.”