Council celebrates supported internships at ceremony for young people with disabilities

Earlier this month Cheshire East Council hosted its first ever graduation ceremony, celebrating the achievements of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who had completed a supported internship in the borough

The event, held at Crewe Hall, awarded certificates to a total of 34 graduates, celebrating their achievements alongside friends, family, job coaches and employers. Many new employers also attended, who were encouraged to find out more about the programme.

A supported internship is a programme designed for young people aged 16-24 with an education, health and care plan. All interns have a job coach to help develop their skills, confidence and independence, with a view to getting a paid job working for an employer.

The ceremony included guest speakers Joshua Tunnicliffe, an ex-intern from Cheshire College South and West who shared his experience of moving to a full-time paid role at Everybody Health and Leisure.

Parent, Nicola Spears, also spoke at the event sharing the impact of the supported internship, and the difference it made to their family and her son, alongside Billy Cartwright from the company, Siemens, who shared the benefits of this scheme from an employer’s perspective.

Interns were presented with a certificate from the council’s executive director of children’s services, Deborah Woodcock, while the ceremony was opened by Laura Rogerson, head of service for inclusion.

Councillor Jill Rhodes, chair of adults and health committee at Cheshire East Council, said:

“We were thrilled to host this ceremony on behalf of those who have completed a supported internship, celebrating the achievements of young people with special educational needs who have been guided into the world of work with first-hand experience.

“Since the launch of the programme we’ve seen some fantastic success stories for both young people and employers, so we’re continuing to put effort and resource into maintaining this initiative to help fulfil the lifetime ambitions of our young people.

“It was great to see how much it meant to our young people to graduate and receive this recognition and we look forward to working with more young people who can reap the rewards of specialised support and on-the-job training.”

The ceremony received impressive feedback from those who attended, with one graduate declaring: 'Thank you to everyone…my family, my employers, my job coaches and the safe opportunities team for everything!'.

Employers also revealed their thoughts about the event, highlighting how ‘the atmosphere was electric’ with one employer stating their favourite part of the night was ‘listening to the stories of how far the interns have come on their journey, and the confidence gained’.

On the night a new promotional supported internship video was also launched, showcasing the real-life stories of some of our young people who have completed a supported internship.