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#GiveBenAJob: Family starts campaign to help man with Down syndrome find a job

#GiveBenAJob: Family starts campaign to help man with Down syndrome find a job

Ben Small wants to be a baker one day. He has his NVQ 2 (a national vocational qualification) in catering. He has “lots of unpaid experience” in customer service, including at a cafe, McDonald’s and with a UK pub chain.

The major obstacle in the way of the 26-year-old Liverpool man landing a good paid job? He has Down syndrome.

“He’s done quite a bit of work experience in the community but unfortunately no-one’s willing to take him on, pay him and give him the credit for it,” Small’s father, Mike, told the Liverpool Echo.

As “a last-ditch attempt to find him a job,” Small’s stepmother, Fiona Hodge, launched an online campaign to help him land his dream job using the hashtag #GiveBenAJob.

“I’ve been thinking about doing something to help Ben for a long time but I wasn’t sure what would be the best way to help,” Hodge told the Daily Mail.

“I’ve seen a lot of people launching appeals on social media sites so I thought I’d give it a go.”

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It appears to be working.

Hodge’s original post was retweeted more than 800 times. News outlets picked up the story. And offers started pouring in.

“It’s been a really busy day because we’ve had so many people wanting to know more about Ben and him looking for a job,” Mike told the Liverpool Echo earlier this week.

“One city hotel said on Facebook that they’d like to see his CV and talk to him. We’ve even had an offer from someone in California but unfortunately it’s a bit too far for Ben to travel!”

“People have been really kind and offering us help in getting Ben the job he wants to do.”

Small has also been offered jobs at a hospital coffee shop and at a school for students with autism, the Telegraph reported.

A family-run Liverpool cafe also reached out with a job offer.

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“It’s been so positive and uplifting,” Hodge said of the response to her tweet. “There hasn’t been a single unpleasant or negative tweet. Ben loves going out to work and he’s really keen to work.”

Mike says he’s certain his son will now get a paid job.

“Ben aspires to do what all other adults his age do,” Mike told the Daily Mail.

“He’s shown in the past that he is capable of working but he hasn’t had that opportunity to show it on a full-time basis where he can earn a living from it. The social media campaign is proving to be fantastic — I never in a million years thought it would get the coverage it has so far.”

Small thanked “everyone” for their support In a short video.

If you or someone you know can #GiveBenAJob, contact his family through givebenajob@mail.com.