DFN Project SEARCH students from the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, Siemens Mobility’s Goole Rail Village and Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, celebrated the end of their supported internships this summer with graduation ceremonies.
The supported internship programme, a collaboration between the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, charity DFN Project SEARCH, local authorities and employers, aims to equip young adults with learning disabilities and autism spectrum conditions with employability skills and confidence so that they can make the transition between education and the workforce.
To celebrate the first cohort of students of the programme, Siemens Mobility held a graduation ceremony for their interns at local Howden Shire Hall, where the five students from Selby College were joined by friends, family and colleagues to celebrate their achievements and progress over the last year.
As part of the programme, students Bryon Myers, Milena Wantoch-Rekowska, Leon Delsaint, Linden Campbell and Lucy Yardy, who all have special educational needs and disabilities, spent five days a week at the Rail Village where they gained work experience in a variety of roles including administration, facilities maintenance, catering and warehousing.
Craig Beech, Service Operations Manager at the Goole Rail Village, said: “It’s been inspiring to watch these young people grow in confidence and capability throughout the year. They have been given genuine roles in the workplace becoming integral team members, contributing meaningfully to our operations whilst developing the skills they need for their future careers.”
Graduate, Lucy Yardy, has now secured a job at the canteen at the Rail Village after completing the programme. She said: “I’m very excited about my new job. I particularly enjoyed the catering rotation during the programme and I’m now looking forward to making lots of nice meals and serving people at Siemens.”
At the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, eight DFN Project SEARCH students from Wakefield College graduated from their internships at Pinderfields Hospital, surrounded by family, friends, peers and NHS colleagues.
The programme at Pinderfields Hospital prides itself on teaching Project SEARCH interns work experience, employability training and independent living skills by rotating the students throughout various departments at the hospital. Already, several of the former interns have secured paid roles after graduating from the programme.
Philip Marshall, Director of Workforce and Organisational Development at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust (left), Project Search interns based at Pinderfields Hospital this year (middle), and Councillor Maureen Tennant-King, The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Wakefield Metropolitan District (right).
Gemma Sampson, Supported Internship Lecturer at Selby College, which is part of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “I am very proud of our outstanding DFN Project SEARCH learners who have now graduated from their supported internships. These celebrations are an important milestone in their employment journey and their resilience and dedication has laid the foundation for promising futures. We hope this is just the beginning of the real-life success stories to come from this workplace programme and look forward to seeing more graduates over the coming years.”
If you or someone you know in the Wakefield or Selby districts could benefit from the DFN Project SEARCH Supported Internship Programme, you can find out more about how to apply for Wakefield College’s programme here or Selby College’s course, here.