Richard Fuller MP recently met with Dominic Cox and Angela Perry from the Youth Support Services team at Central Bedfordshire Council who run a government-backed programme called Supported Internships that supports employers by removing costs associated with employment and training for a young person with learning difficulties and disabilities between the ages of 18-24 years old.
Speaking after the meeting, Richard said:
Supported Internships is a great programme which helps local employers reduce their recruitment and training costs whilst helping young people, aged 16-24 years old who have learning difficulties and disabilities into paid jobs. Dominic and Angela, who oversee the programme, explained the details to me and I thought it worth recommending enquiry to employers in the area.
Each new hire comes with a Job Coach to support them to learn the role and achieve independence: improving retention beyond other schemes.
As this is a funded educational programme, the intern and job coach come at no cost to the employer for up to 12 months. The Supported Internship programme is a great way for businesses to strengthen their teams and ensure that the talents of all young people have the chance to flourish.
Supported internships are structured study programmes based primarily at an employer. They are intended to enable young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to achieve sustainable, paid employment by equipping them with the skills they need for work through learning in the workplace.
To find out more about the programme in Central Bedfordshire, please contact Dominic Cox, Supported Internship Development Officer, by emailing [email protected]
