Creating brighter futures

The recently released Health and Disability White Paper outlines the governments vision to be able to move more neurodiverse individuals into paid employment to support them to ‘Start, stay and succeed in work’.

Currently, only 4.8% of individuals with a learning disability or autism that are known to local authorities are in full time paid employment. This figure has to change, and we must take action to change the narrative for young people within our community.

Here at Weston College, our empowerment-based specialist support model promotes a whole-organisational approach to inclusivity. We have developed our supported internship programmaes to provide a personalised innovative support network for learners with EHCPs who are looking to move into sustained employment. As a result of this 85% of our interns move into sustainable employment, bucking the national trend by over 80% and outlining our high aspirations and outstanding outcomes for the young people.

Why choose supported internships?

There is nothing better than working with young people to unlock their true potential. We know that around 20-40% of the UK population are neurodiverse and Internships are work based study programmes that allow these individuals to showcase their skills whilst supporting employers to access an untapped workforce. There are currently over 1 million unfulfilled vacancies within the UK costing employers hundreds of thousands of pounds in recruitment costs and we know that we have individuals that have a wide breath of talent and ambition to bridge this employment gap.

Our interns flourish in the world of work, reaching their aspirations and making a positive contribution to the workplace. This is reflected recent feedback from one of our job coaches ‘The interns I support are unique and individual, which is why Supported Internships are so great –they allow us the flexibility to design a personalised support programme that supports allows them to utilise their unique skills to benefit the employers that they are working with.’ Every day the difference that our internship programme makes to the lives of the young people we support. Interns describe internships in the following ways:

‘I am so excited about getting up everyday and going to work. My supported internship will support me to get a job working with children which is something I have always wanted to do.’

‘I worked with my job coach to identify where I wanted to work. I was able to get a supported internship opportunity where I trained for 5 months and got a paid job. A year later I still work here and I love coming to work everyday to see the customers and colleagues’

‘My internship allowed me to use the skills I have to get a job but more importantly has shaped by personal and social life for the better forever. I have recently just got a promotion in my job, something I never thought I would be able to achieve.’

Our commitment to inclusion permeates beyond the college walls. This year we have trained over 50 employers in neurodiversity awareness to support them to become inclusivity champions. By working together to create supportive opportunities the narrative will begin to change. Hosting a Supported Internship and becoming a more inclusive employer, isn’t just a great thing to do –it makes complete business sense!

For more information on Supported Internships, email employers@weston.ac.uk.

Recently, our Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprentices swapped their usual online studies to attend a series of exciting in-person practical sessions in the laboratory at our Knightstone Campus.  

This was a particularly momentous occasion as our BSC (Hons) Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship is taught exclusively online, with our students based all over the UK.  

However, our personal approach here at UCW means we care about getting to know each and every one of our students. So, when the opportunity arose to invite our degree apprentices onto campus, we simply could not pass it up! 

Students took part in a series of practical sessions, led by lecturer in Public and Environmental Health; Nahum. The workshops were designed to inform and develop the apprentices’ understanding of environmental health in a way that can be applied to their everyday professional practices in the field.  

We caught up with Joanne, one of our brilliant Degree Apprentices all the way from Tyneside Council, to find out more about her course.  

Joanne told us the day spent on campus at UCW was very interesting: “We cultured bacteria and bacterial growth in the laboratory. We were looking at how to identify different forms of bacteria using gram-staining and streak plates.” 

We asked Joanne about the skills she is gaining from her studies with University Centre Weston, and how these are helping her develop in her career. 

She said: 

“Just learning about everything is so amazing because there’s so many different disciplines in environmental health. I’m predominantly working in housing at the moment. It’s interesting learning about microbiology, and the climate change, the planet and how everything interlinks really makes you start to think about things differently. 

“When looking for my degree apprenticeship, UCW’s offer was definitely the best, in terms of their staff’s expertise and the new way it’s being delivered online. This is something I find incredibly useful, being based in the Northeast, it means I can learn flexibly whilst working – which is fantastic. I’m thoroughly enjoying it!” 

Thanks Joanne! 

If you would like to find out more about the Environmental Health Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship programme at UCW, click here.