Employers interested in supported internships

At one point, there were only 15 young people from Salford participating on supported internships, despite the majority of young people with SEN being capable of sustaining paid employment with the right preparation and support. In part, this was due to a lack of provision, which was reflected by the low proportion of adults with learning difficulties attaining paid employment.

As a response a new Supported internship programme was launched in September 2018, in partnership with the University of Salford, Salford City College and Pure Innovations. The programme builds on the successful delivery model that was already in operation at Salford Royal Foundation Trust.

The programme is delivered over the course of a full academic year (September to June), with placements rotating every eight to 12 weeks. Typically, interns will attend their placement for four days per week, with a typical day involving 1.5 hours of classroom-based learning and between three and four hours spent on placement with their host employer.

The University of Salford provides an on-site classroom for the programme and facilitate all of the work placements during the first term (September to December). Interns will then undertake a ‘rotation’ and will carry out a second placement, hosted elsewhere within the university or by a council team or service during the second term (January to March).

The final rotation (April to June) will also be facilitated by the university or council, but will take into consideration the young person’s aspirations for paid work and the likelihood of them obtaining this outcome from their final placement. It is the responsibility of the Employment Officer to identify and match interns to suitable placements and paid employment opportunities that fit within the needs of a business.

There are lots of good reasons for employers to host a supported internship programme or placement. Benefits include:

• diversifying the workforce to better reflect the social needs of the business - for an average business, 20% of customers are disabled people, so a workforce that reflects this diversity, and the community in which it is based is valuable
• enhancing corporate social responsibility practices by developing an ethical corporate image that can be fundamental to the success of a business.
• being part of an initiative that gives local young people with disabilities the chance to showcase their talent
• providing managers with an opportunity to test the ability, commitment and suitability of candidates – a work placement can act as an extended working interview, giving the business an increased chance of getting the right person and the opportunity to bring new skills to the workforce
• increasing an employer's ‘disability confidence’, with job coaches available to supplement any in-work training that the employer requires
• providing a junior member of staff with an opportunity to develop supervisory experience by acting as a 'buddy' or mentor to an intern
• extra capacity for the team at no extra cost

Key to the programme’s success is the support offered to host managers.

A project team based on site within the council supports teams to identify, develop and host work placement opportunities. The project team is on hand to ensure there is consistent and ongoing support offered to learners and staff hosting placements. Support will also include specific training to learners in the technical elements of the role undertaken during the internship.

The project team consists of the following:

• Course Tutor – Salford City College Group
• Employment Officer – Pure Innovations
• Job Coach – Salford City College Group or Pure Innovations

Host managers are expected to identify a placement and work with the Employment Officer to identify key tasks for the intern(s) to carry out whilst on placement. Host manager are also expected to:

• provide a suitable induction to the intern(s) (and job coach, where applicable)
• provide appropriate supervision
• take part in reviews of progress and learning
• report any concerns to the Employment Officer
• advocate for hiring into open positions, when appropriate

The type of placements required will depend on the interests and abilities of the young people involved. Typically, interns are particularly interested in placements with administration type duties, manual type duties or roles where the type of work is reoccurring in its nature.

If you are interested in supporting a young person with a work placement and/or would like to find out more about the programme, please email:

• nicola.griffiths@salford.gov.uk