READING College has announced that a group of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have secure paid employment.
The students recently completed Route to Recruit scheme, a supported internship programme which helps those with SEND requirements.
It helps students in their last year at the college using a workforce and career development model designed to benefit them as well as workplaces.
It involves the use of job coaching throughout the year, and continues to offer support while the students move into paid employment.
Five students took part in weekly sessions exploring the workplace, and up to four days a week gaining valuable experience in supported internships.
Kim Mead, intensive support advisor at Activate Learning, said: “We are really pleased for all five of our students who have secured employment– this is a great success.”
“We are also proud of our students who have completed their supported internships and are now pursuing employment opportunities, and we wish them all the best for the future.”
Tyrik Thompson is one of the students supported by the internship scheme and has worked placements at Wokingham Borough Council, Great Western Rail, and in Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Mr Thompson said: “The best internship was with GWR because I received some training and I really enjoyed travelling on the trains. I would love to work for a train company in the future.
“Doing supported internships has helped me by building my confidence, applying for jobs and going for interviews.”
He now works as a warehouse operative in Stevensons, Market Place.
“Doing my internship helped me to get my job at Stevensons because I was able to talk about my experience when I worked at Marks and Spencer where I had to carry some stock and products.
“I can take my experience that I’ve got from there and my customer service experience, medical knowledge and all the stuff that I learnt from my work experience with Marks and Spencer and GWR and put them together to get things done in my job at Stevensons.”
Fellow student Lydia Mapley has also taken part in two placements, the latest of which was also at Royal Berkshire Hospital.
“I loved meeting all the different patients and welcoming them into the department and checking them in. On Fridays especially, it’s normally the same patients all the time so it’s very nice with those regular patients to get to know them.
“My daily duties included welcoming patients, scanning patients’ details onto patient records, checking in patients, doing referrals and letters, data entry, excel work.
“With the admin, I do a lot of paperwork so writing addresses on letters and writing emails that are posted to patients and GPs, referrals, lots of scanning of paperwork onto the computer.
“There’s really nice team of staff there as well and we always chat about different topics.”
She now works in administration at the physiotherapy and patient therapies department at Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Activate Learning is an education group which works across further and higher education, schools, apprenticeships and training.
