How an internship for young people with learning disabilities can help build skills and independence
MOST workplaces claim to be inclusive – but how many offer opportunities for the most vulnerable in society?
Next week is National Inclusion Week and a number of firms have launched internships to support young people with learning disabilities or difficulties.
Currently, fewer than five per cent of young people with learning problems go on to secure paid employment once their education finishes, compared to 80 per cent of their peers.
To combat this, the innovative internships offer tuition and help in industries including hospitality and retail, allowing students to gain vital skills, find jobs and live more independently.
Hospitality company Whitbread’s already well- established Thrive scheme helps young learners with special educational needs train for industry roles, through work experience.
Now the firm is expanding the scheme to get 100 supported young interns into paid employment each year.
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This will see Premier Inn team up with Lincolnshire County Council and The Liverpool City Region to offer training through local colleges.
Students will study all areas of hospitality and, through work experience under the guidance of job coaches, aim to move on to paid employment placements with Premier Inn.
Skills they will learn include guest relations and housekeeping — which also supports the students to live independent lives.
Simon Ewins, Premier Inn MD, says: “Our hotel teams are absolutely raring to welcome the new learners on to sites across the North West and Lincolnshire.”
Cllr Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive member for children’s services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “We want to help all local children get a good start in life.
“This new partnership will provide our learners with valuable work experience and provide a route into employment, helping them develop their independence.
Another firm stepping up is Asda.
The supermarket giant is expanding its successful Supported Internship Programme to offer year-long work experience placements to more than 70 students with learning disabilities or difficulties.
Inspiring example
Working with the charity DFN Project Search, 11 stores will take part in the programme.
Trainees will wear bespoke uniforms, including T-shirts and fleeces carrying the message: “Happy to help — please bear with me, I’m learning.”
Hayley Tatum, Asda’s Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer, says: “We’re delighted to promote more accessible pathways into paid employment within retail.
“We’re continuing to improve our support to young people and ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and experience which they need to gain future employment.”
Carmel McKeogh, Interim Chief Executive of DFN Project Search, adds: “Asda is not only changing the lives of more young people, it is also setting an inspiring example for other businesses and positively impacting the local communities they serve.”
MARY WOODALL studied with Premier Inn’s Thrive programme ten years ago, at Derwen College in Shropshire.
Now aged 32, Mary is a Reception Team Member at Greenwich Premier Inn, in South East London.
She says: “It’s not easy for people with disabilities to get into paid employment but these programmes give opportunity.
“The course helped me learn everything from checking people in, to brand standards, and my confidence with speaking to guests has grown.
“Since then, I’ve been given amazing opportunities, taking part in the Premier Inn’s Rest Easy advert which was one of the highlights of my career.
“I’ve also spoken about my work experience in the scheme, in front of 3,000 people at one of Whitbread’s events. I felt like royalty.
“I’ve made lots of friends through working with Premier Inn and couldn’t be happier.
“I hope this Thrive programme helps bring up the percentage of disabled people getting into paid employment.
“I hope more disabled people get an opportunity like me.”
WFH COUNT RISES
AMAZON has ordered staff back to the office full-time but research from career networking app LinkedIn shows hybrid working is on the rise.
While seven in ten firms require employees to be on site for at least some of the week, 38 per cent of UK job postings are listed as hybrid and ten per cent fully remote.
While the study revealed a six per cent drop in hiring for fully remote roles, small firms showed a 2.3 per cent increase.
Janine Chamberlin, UK Country Manager at LinkedIn, said: “It’s important to balance the benefits of in-person working with flexibility.
"There’s not a one-size-fits-all. Certain projects lend themselves to in-person collaboration, while others require isolated thinking."
SUNSHINE CALLS
AS the nights draw in, three in five workers are dreaming of working overseas.
While the primary motivation is quality of life, a third want better weather while 54 per cent claim they would be paid more in a new country.
But the report from jobs platform Indeed found 47 per cent of workers say their company does not allow overseas work, while 42 per cent claim they firm has no policy on the matter.
Indeed’s Pawel Adrjan said: “As borders become less relevant for workers, businesses and states must offer not only competitive salaries but also attractive living conditions, healthcare and education, and political and economic stability.”
YOU CAN BOSS IT AT WORK
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