04/06/2020
West Lea Supported Internship Programme
A Message from Jack Kelley, Employer Engagement Advisor at West Lea School:
At West Lea School is a Special Educational Needs school based in Enfield and we work in partnership with Enfield Council to run a Supported Internship Programme. This is part of a national government strategy to support businesses to employ more people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
In order to ensure the sustainability of the programme going forward and to keep pathways to employment open for our some of the most disadvantaged in our community we need to continue to build relationships with local businesses in Enfield and in North London. So far, we have been extremely successful in supporting young people into employment and providing support to businesses to become more inclusive and reap the benefits of this.
Many businesses have been hit hard by the pandemic and we believe it’s an opportunity for members to think about how they recruit and how they operate going forward and this programme is a great opportunity to support you to do just that.
Please see below our flyer for the programme which outlines the business case and we think this programme would suit both the businesses that may have suffered during the pandemic, because you get a funded member of staff to learn the job, with support, over an extended period whilst your business recovers and also for the businesses that may have seen an upturn in their output who could use the extra capacity. You get an opportunity to see someone on a working interview because you take the risk of hiring them, you may be able to also reduce your dependency on agency staff and create a loyal workforce that will stay for years to come. Many businesses will also be changing the way they operate and it’s a great opportunity to find a niche role for someone with LD that really benefits the organisation. We also offer training on LD and Autism awareness that can really help the current workforce have a better understanding of how to support colleagues and members of the public.
If you think you may be in a position to offer a placement to an Intern, or you would like to find out more about our work experience and Supported Employment programmes or even if you just have a couple of questions then please get in touch with Jack Kelley- sip@westleaschool.co.uk
