Supported Internships are government schemes designed for young people aged 16 – 25 who have additional support needs in the workplace.
This study programme aims to help young people achieve paid employment by giving them the skills and experience they need in the workplace. Work placements are unpaid, are usually three days a week and last for around six months, with the view to gain paid employment after completing the work placement.
Employers are equal partners in supported internships and are critical to their success. The extended work placement is the most important part of a supported internship as it gives the young person the chance to show that they can have a real job in a real workplace. As an employer, you will be fully supported throughout the work placement.
At Sparsholt College, students will undertake their work placements from January until the end of June, spending 1 day per week at college during placement.
BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYERS
- Finding suitable matches and filling recruitment gaps in the workplace.
- Free support from job coaches during the internship to assist the young person with training. Level of support provided will be agreed with the employer, and the input will depend on the needs of both the young person and the employer.
- Help with shaping the placement, if you need it. The college can do an initial assessment at the job matching stage, which should prevent interns being placed in unsuitable environments.
- Helping the local community by building partnerships with local education providers.
- Creating a diverse workplace. The UK has 10 million disabled customers, which equates to 20% of all customers, with a combined annual spending power of £80 billion. Having a disability-inclusive workforce can enable employers to understand and access this sizeable market.
- Help to identify and implement reasonable adjustments for the young person, which are free to the employer (with government funding).
- The employer meets the criteria for equality in the workplace.
A TIMETABLE FOR AN INTERN COULD INCLUDE:
- English and Maths development
- Personal and social development
- Employability skills
- Workplace training
- Interns will have with a specialist job coach that visits them on their placement
Entry Requirements
This course is available to students who have studied one of our Foundation or Mainstream courses here at the college and have completed a successful work experience. Students will need to be able to get to the work placement on the internship, college will not provide transport to placement.