Life-changing internships project set to help more disabled people into work.
4,500 16–25-year-olds with special educational needs and disabilities in England are set to benefit from a new, life changing, supported internships programme per year by 2025.
Internships Work is a brand-new collaboration between the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi), British Association of Supported Employment (BASE) and DFN Project SEARCH.
The Department for Education funded programme is designed to support more young people with additional needs to have greater choice and control over opportunities that prepare them for adult life and enable them to gain long-term meaningful employment. Currently, only 5.1% of people with special educational needs and disabilities gain permanent paid employment in the UK, compared to 80% of their peers.
Claire Cookson, Chief Executive Officer at DFN Project SEARCH, said “We’re delighted to be a part of the Internships Work programme, which will help break down the barriers and misconceptions that young adults with learning disabilities or autism spectrum conditions face daily around access to employment. Through our wealth of data and first-hand insight, our aim is to improve best practice across the board, showcasing the amazing talent these young adults have, and how policy needs to change to encourage the best form of inclusive recruitment.”