Students in the Supported Internship Programme at Southwark College gathered with friends and family at Hilton Bankside to celebrate their outstanding achievements this past year, with most interns securing permanent employment across the hospitality, health and social care and creative arts sectors.
The programme is designed to support neurodivergent young people develop employability skills in a work setting and progress onto employment. This is done through specialised and bespoke internship placements delivered in partnership with local employers, including The Young Vic, Guy's and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and Hilton London Bankside.
As part of the programme, interns also have access to Job Coaches at the College who support them in understanding work culture, developing interpersonal skills, and building on their confidence. The coaches also work with the employers to help them understand how to best work with young people with hidden disabilities, identify their strengths and challenges, and make reasonable adjustments to enable the interns to complete their placements successfully.
At the event, interns were presented with certificates to celebrate their achievements throughout the programme. Representatives from partner organisations handed out the certificates to:
- Ariel Botto
- Daniel Odinga
- Demelza Tootill
- Chantel Davis
- Jay Dawes
- John Terraza-Rojas
- Onakorame Edumijeke
- Nasiru Kamara
- Moyi Sang
- Sarah Dight
Manal Sadik, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Widening Participation at Guy’s and St Thomas,’ said: “I am honoured and privileged to have been invited to the Supported Internships celebration of achievements.
“Working in partnership with Southwark College means we can continue creating more opportunities for the local community. The Supported Internship Programme is a key element for us as we can provide opportunities and open doors to support neurodivergent young people to find work placements where they can thrive, aspire and achieve their career goals.”
Annette Cast, Principal at Southwark College, said: “I am delighted our students in the Supported Internship programme have completed their course and secured job offers across various sectors. Such as Moyi Sang, who will be staying on as a Food and Beverage Assistant at Hilton Bankside, Daniel Odima, who has secured a role in the NHS ahead of his business administration apprenticeship or Demelza Tootill who will be taking on an apprenticeship position as a pharmacy assistant within the NHS. Their success is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and resilience, and I wish them all the best in their new roles.
“Working to build partnerships with local employers is key to enrich the student experience in Southwark College and support our diverse student community to engage and connect with businesses, as well as giving employers the opportunity to access a stream of future talent.”
The Supported Internship Programme at Southwark College aims to support neurodivergent young people develop employability skills through work-based learning. Find out more about this year’s programme and interns here https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/726518618/8b1d7fc289
Through strategic partnerships with various employers, students at Southwark College can raise their employment prospects by boosting their qualifications and transferable skills, and benefit from work placements, guest talks, workshops, and visits to relevant organisations. To learn more about our partnerships, visit southwark.ac.uk/employers.
For more information on Supported Learning courses, visit southwark.ac.uk/supported-learning.
