HEREFORD’S Royal National College for the Blind has been awarded a £3 million contract by the Department of Work and Pensions.

Called Specialist Employability Support, the contract is designed to provide those with a visual impairment with the skills, training and confidence to find permanent work.

The new contract, worth £3 million over two years, will be based at the RNC in Hereford and will allow its clients to access expertise, training and support in their home area through a national network of local centres.

A range of options is allowed for, from immersive residential training for those who need to develop core skills such as mobility, to refresher sessions from interview skills to new forms of assistive technology.

Vocational training courses leading to careers in specific industries including IT, sport and leisure and the arts will be on offer, while other training will be a gateway to Work Choice or Work Programme.

Hereford MP Jesse Norman said he was “absolutely delighted” at the confirmation of the contract.

“It has taken many, many months of work for us to make the case to Government for the importance of the RNC and of its specialist skills, and at last it has all paid off,” he said.