Unlocking potential in Somerset businesses through supported internships
Has your business ever considered supported internships?
Taking on someone with specialist skillsets – a future team member who could truly make a difference to your organisation. Word is spreading, and more businesses are beginning to take an interest.
Leonardo Helicopters in Yeovil, in partnership with logistics specialists Kuehne+Nagel and Sodexo, has already recruited 3 former supported interns as full-time employees through the Discovery scheme. This initiative is fully funded by the Apprenticeship Levy and delivered to employers by Bridgwater and Yeovil Colleges.
Mike Rose, Training Manager at Leonardo, said:
“The exercise has delivered huge learnings from workshop right through to management.”
Other Yeovil-based participants in this Somerset-wide scheme include:
The Discovery scheme offers Special Educational Needs (SEN) students aged 16 to 24 a 5-day, structured, work-based programme to gain the Education, Health and Care (EHC) qualification. EHC graduates are job-matched by Discovery Job Coaches, with employer support, to develop and demonstrate both life and workplace skills and confidence. For many, this is a fulfilling route to full-time employment. As a college programme, interns work to an academic calendar.
Cllr David Woan, Associate Lead Member for Business Partnerships at Somerset Council, said:
“One of the key pillars of the Somerset Economic Prosperity Strategy 2025-2045 is to encourage 7,000 ‘economically inactive’ people in Somerset into the workplace by 2035. Breaking employer fears and misconceptions about SEN students is key, and the Discovery scheme is making huge strides.
“A rising number of supported interns are being recognised by employers as having specialist skillsets and are being taken on as full-time employees, delivering meaningful and long-term employment to people who often find it challenging to enter and thrive within the workplace.”
If you’d like to receive free training to support an individual with learning disabilities or autism into work – and reap a wide range of benefits for your company – visit Discovery’s Employers page.