Supported internships are a really valuable scheme helping people get into the world of work. These schemes have a strong focus on supporting people who had Educational Health Care Plans (EHCP) in school. Only 5% of school leavers with an EHCP find employment immediately after education.
This is a massive barrier to many people, some of whom will have also struggled in school. Supported internships offer these young people an opportunity to learn invaluable workplace skills and puts them on a path of creating their own future.
ASDA in Spondon has run a supported internship scheme for several years now and currently have six interns at the store on their third rotation. Interns learn how to work on the shop floor, develop excellent customer service skills, and are tutored by the YMCA to help them with career and interview training.
It was great to be back at Spondon’s ASDA to meet with some of the interns and talk to them about how they are finding the scheme. They were very excited to talk about the opportunity and were feeling hopeful about their future.
I look forward to going again soon to see how they are progressing