City and guilds teaches the basics but will not in itself open any doors to employment and it would not prepare people properly for self emplyment. To give your students a good chance at the job market you need to be looking at AAT which is the lowest level that gets past a recruitment agents desk. Even then it needs to be AAT combined with existing experience so you need to work with some larger practices in order to offer placements of those that are up to AAT level IV training ready for them to hit the market.

ICB and IAB are excellent for teaching people to become self employed but by and large they are not recognised widely in business.

I know several disabled people in this business and in each case the people tend to aim high not trying to prove they are as good as anyone else but showing that they are better. The disabled people I know in Accountancy are all ACCA and ICAEW.

Good luck with the business but I would sell the city and guilds as getting a grounding in bookkeeping rather than getting a foot in the door because it isn't and trying to get sponsorship from business to teach the wrong qualification no matter how much they may wish to hit their diversity figures may prove difficult. Its actually that quota system that angers disabled people in that they want the job because they are the best, not because of their disability. Respect them and give them a qualification worth fighting for that will genuinely put them on a level playing field.

AAT, ATT, ACCA, CIMA, all qualifications that set people appart in the job market.

Shaun.