Supported internships

Supported Internships provide opportunities for 16 to 24-year olds with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), who want to move into employment and need extra support to do so.

Supported internships were introduced by the government in 2013 to give a greater focus on preparing young people with special educational needs and disabilities with the skills needed for adulthood and employment.

Employers working with an intern will benefit from the support of specialist job coaches who want to reach positive outcomes for both the business and intern.

Supported internships are a programme for students with SEND. The programme has one primary aim which is to support young people to move into sustainable paid employment.

Supported interns are enrolled and supported by an education provider, for example, a school or college, but spend most of their learning time - typically around 70 percent - in a workplace.

What are the benefits of offering supported internships for employers?

Supported internships can benefit your business in the following ways:

• Simple model ensures minimal impact on business and intern
• No additional cost – each supported internship is government funded
• Acts as an extended working interview, giving an increased chance of getting the right person for the job
• Interns may have skills currently lacking in existing staff eg. high functioning autism can result in significantly above average accuracy
• Increased workforce diversity, reflecting the communities it serves

How long is the internship?

Timescales can vary depending on the employer and student needs, this will be reviewed every six weeks. The supported internship placement should last for an academic year (10 months) and allow one day off per week study leave for the intern. Most Internships are completed within 12 months and successful interns move into paid roles within the business.

What will it cost to offer a supported internship?

There is no cost for providing a supported internship. 

Work placements for supported internships are unpaid, because participating in an extended work placement is part of the interns programme of study at college or education provider. The primary goal of an intern placement is to help a young person with learning difficulties to develop the skills they need for paid employment.

Will there be lots of paperwork?

No, but the college or educational provider will need to complete a health and safety declaration with you.

Will the young person fit in to my workplace?

If you are thinking about hosting an intern, a job coach will work with you to understand the role you have available and to ensure the best job match between the intern and you.

They may also suggest ‘job carving’, which means working with you to tailor the extended work placement to best meet your business needs, whilst utilising the strengths and abilities of the young person. This might mean that tasks carried out by other employees can be given to the intern, freeing up resource for other staff.

Specialist job coaches will work with you to train the intern, so this does not impact on your everyday operational running of the business.

What will my business need to provide?

Businesses need to commit to providing a high-quality work experience opportunity, which is substantial and meaningful for the young person.

The supported internship placement should last for an academic year (10 months) and allow one day off per week study leave for the intern.

You will need to provide effective line management and supervision of the intern as you would with other employees, although a lot of support will be provided by the job coach, especially at first.

The placement should enable the interns to develop new skills and behaviours, engage in purposeful work-related learning, and have the confidence to take the first step in their career to secure a traineeship, apprenticeship, or other employment.

What do I, as an employer, need to do?

Getting the right young person into the right job role with the right employer is critical to the success of an individual internship. The education provider will work with you to identify a job role that fulfils a real business need for your organisation and ensure that someone is matched to the job role for the extended work placement. The role can develop over time as you get to know what the young person can do.

What support will I receive during the internship?

The education provider or specialist job coach will work with you to arrange the induction and settling in period and provide as much support as is needed throughout this time. The job coach will also support you to make any reasonable adjustments that may be needed. As the young person becomes more confident and able, the job coach will gradually withdraw their support, but you will still be able to contact them at any time if any issues arise.

What happens if things go wrong?

Every effort will have been made to match your business with the most suitable intern, but if something goes wrong, the job coach should be your first point of contact to resolve any issues. It may be a skills gap, a difference in expectations between the intern and employer, a behaviour concern or simply a misunderstanding by the young person or employer. If it becomes clear that the work placement is no longer viable, the job coach will work with you to bring it to an end. Either the job coach, college or education provider will discuss why things went wrong, and whether to consider placing another young person with you.

What happens at the end of the internship?

The aim of supported internships is to prepare young people with learning difficulties for employment. As the intern has been fulfilling a real business need in your organisation, you should consider whether you can take them on as a paid member of staff at the end of their internship. This won’t always be possible: you may not be in a position to recruit, or the intern may not have met the required standards. You can still play an important part in helping an intern achieve employment elsewhere, e.g. by providing a reference, recommending the intern to other employers, or giving honest feedback about the skills and/or behaviours that the young person still needs to develop.

Do I need special insurance?

Interns are covered by the employer’s insurance as if they were an employee. 

More Information

Learn more about how your business can become involved with Supported internships - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The government funded internships work programme is supported by the National Development Team for Inclusion.