Nuneaton meeting will hear how supported interns can have such a positive effect on business

Nuneaton Golf Club will host an event on Friday 12 July to share with businesses how providing supported internships to people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) can not only help the young person but also benefit the business.

The Warwickshire County Council event, supported by the Careers and Enterprise Company and the DFN Foundationon, follows the successful inaugural Supportive Employers Forum which took place last month and was attended by more than 40 representatives from business.

These events are designed to create a network of businesses that offer work experience and also potentially offer apprenticeships to people with SEND. The events bring businesses together to share ideas and best practice on providing supported internships, as well as help employers understand the technicalities behind taking on a supported internship so that the intern’s needs are met and appropriate adjustments made to the workplace.

At the event on 12 July, businesses will hear how providing supported internships provides a  pipeline of talent, with people with SEND consistently displaying great attention to detail, and a conscientious approach to duties and attendance. Supported internships also give businesses the opportunity to make efficiencies via job carving – identifying specific tasks that might be assigned to an employee with learning difficulties.

Furthermore, providing a supported internship has an overall positive effect on staff morale, increasing disability confidence in employees, enhancing staff skills and increasing the bond created within teams.

At the event, businesses will learn about:

• Managing the relationships between businesses and schools.
• Warwickshire County Council’s Apprenticeship Levy - £1.2m which will be used to support apprenticeships in the region.
• How to access support from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Businesses will also hear from a young person who who took part in a supported internship - what impact it had on their life, and how it led on to an Inclusive Apprenticeship.

 If you would like to book a place at the event, please visit here.

For more details or for any skills guidance and advice for your business, please contact Fay Winterburn: faywinterburn@warwickshire.gov.uk