Supported Internships
Creating employment opportunities for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
With your help we can offer supported internships for young people with a learning difficultly.
A productive working life is central to young person’s progress, and we couldn’t offer them this without the input and generosity of local employers. Our commitment to you is set out from the start, keeping the experience positive and simple.
We treat every employer as a client to serve and support. The internship will be bespoke to your business needs, with students placed in roles that make a genuine contribution to your organisation. Our specially-trained job coaches are on hand to ensure this positive impact is there from the outset and that the student is supported throughout.
What are Supported Internships?
Supported Internships are jobs specially adapted to meet the skills and abilities of someone with a learning difficulty or disability. The placements are designed to develop the young person’s skills and fulfil a genuine business need of the employer.
An intern’s working week is 16 hours, depending on the needs of the employers and the skill levels and abilities of the young person. They are unpaid, last for nine months and fit within the academic year.
How we’ll support you
The College is on hand to support you throughout the internship. Speak to your Job Coach your first point of contact about
- We can help identify the most suitable job role
- The strengths and areas of development for your intern
- Adjustments to the job role
- Introducing the student to the rest of the team
- Sharing successful strategies and progression
- Ensuring your intern is on task and meeting your expectations
- Questions you may have at any stage of the internship
The role of a job coach
Our specially-trained job coaches are there to support the student and ensure they fulfil the agreed business need. This includes:
- Attending a work induction
- Learning the job role ahead of working with the student
- Mentoring the student and building their confidence within the role
- Breaking down the tasks for the student and monitoring their progress
- Modelling the appropriate workplace behaviours
- Remaining alongside the student until such a time that they are competent to complete the task unaided
How it works
We’ll match a student to your business requirements.
- As soon as you’re on board we’ll be in touch to discuss your business requirements and help identify a suitable job role.
- We’ll match your job role with a student, judged on their level of interest and ability. You’ll get the chance to meet the student and the job coach.
- There’s always the option for a trial or taster session to help everyone get prepared. The job coach will be on hand to learn the role before the student starts.
- The student joins your team, initially for nine months. The job coach will stay with the student for as long as is required for the student to work independently.
- Alongside communicating throughout, we will review the role at the halfway stage. We would also love to get your feedback a month before the end of the internship too.
- The student passes the course with a range of new skills and opportunities alongside possible employment.
Testimonials
We’ve worked with a range of different companies watch our video below and click here to read our testimonials and hear what students and employers have to say about Supported Internships.
