Wednesday 10 July 2019
Our Supported Internship programme has been running for three years, and offers a fantastic opportunity for learners to study and gain invaluable workplace skills.
The programme lasts for one year, with at least 6 months of this spent at a paid or voluntary work placement. Whilst the classroom lessons are important, undertaking work experience is proving highly beneficial to our students. Learner confidence has increased, and many have had the chance to further develop valuable social skills.
Two of our Supported Interns share their thoughts about their work placements:
Cameron Mortlock, 1st year said:
“I’ve been completing my work placement at a Northampton nursery. The children are all between 6 months - 2 years and they’re wonderful to work with. I’ve learnt so much about the behaviour of kids, and watched them develop throughout my time there which has been so rewarding. My confidence has improved massively and my passion for childcare has grown. This experience has shown me how much I love working with children, and made me feel even more excited about going onto study my level 2 childcare course in September”
Samuel Collinson said:
“Each Monday for the past year, I’ve been working at Brunos pet shop in Billing, and I absolutely love it. I have a huge passion for animal care, so this role suits me to a tee. Working with my job coach, i’ve learnt how to clean out rodents and birds, and provide general care and assistance for the animals. I’ve been able to really challenge myself in this role, and improve my social skills and ability to cope during difficult situations. I can’t wait to bring these new skills into my future job. I’ll be starting a new role as Animal Care Assistant at Bugtopia Zoo after the Summer, which i’m very excited about! This course has given me the practical experience I need to progress into my next role confidently.”
John Briers, Head of Supported Learning commented:
“Since launching the programme back in 2016, it’s been hugely successful in improving our learner’s skills and challenging them to experience a real life working environment. Whilst the course is split into classroom teaching and workplace learning, it’s really the latter which encourages our learners to grow into themselves. Over two thirds of our learners go onto secure full time employment on completion of the internship, which is so great to see”.
