25,000 disabled people find work More than 6,000 disabled people worked with a business mentor who helped them develop skills for employment while a similar number started formal training in preparation for a job interview. Mr Duncan Smith said the government wanted to go further to ensure more disabled people were helped into jobs. "We are already helping to boost the employment opportunities for disabled people to get a foothold in the jobs market, get their careers on track and achieve their full potential," he said. However there's more we need to do, when too often the talents of disabled people in the workforce are left untapped. That means addressing the barriers that hold disabled people back, giving them the best prospects of securing a job. In July, ministers will host a disability employment conference to encourage companies with low numbers of disabled staff to consider how they can "improve the diversity of their workforce," officials said. State funded employers will also be present. Mr Duncan Smith said the summit would seek to harness "the drive and innovation" of private companies. It is expected to result in a campaign to tackle the "preconceptions" that some employers have about hiring disabled people. "It will start a campaign by employers, for employers to better recognise the considerable talents disabled people have to offer and challenge some of the preconceptions around employing disabled people," the minister said. We should be able to open up more opportunities for disabled people so they have the same choice of jobs in every sector from hairdressing to engineering and everything in between. Mr Duncan Smith's comments follow a critical report from MPs last week, which found that the government's work programme schemes to tackle long-term unemployment had struggled to help disabled people find jobs. Charities have also been critical of the government's reforms to the benefits system, which they say have placed inappropriate pressure on sick and disabled people to look for work.