A SCHEME which helps people with autism and other learning disabilities find work has been hailed as a success in Scotland.

Project Search, which began in the US, runs training in the workplaces of large employers, with the support of local colleges.

Six sites in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Lanarkshire and East Ayrshire have moved 70 per cent of interns, on average, into employment.

As a result, Glasgow hosted the first European conference on the scheme at the University of Strathclyde this week.

The scheme is led by the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability.

Its chief executive, Chris Creegan, said: "Project Search has been instrumental in bringing thousands of people with learning disabilities and autism into competitive paid employment in the United States and more recently in Europe."