BeLambeth
BeLambeth is all about opportunities, skills and connections. If you are a young person looking for information about what to do next, BeLambeth can support you. The Supported Employment programme can connect you with opportunities and provide advice and support to help you make your next step.
Visit the supported employment section on the BeLambeth website or get in touch with the Supported Employment Team at inclusiveemployment@lambeth.gov.uk.
Project SEARCH
Lambeth’s Project SEARCH Supported Internship programmes continue to grow, working with Kings College Hospital, NHS England and Lambeth Council. Project SEARCH will be working on programmes in partnership with Orchard Hill College, Lambeth College, Unity Works, Kaleidoscope and Lambeth Council’s SEND and Economic Inclusion teams.
You can read more about the partnership on the Kings College Hospital website.
Silent Hands
The Silent Hands Project, in collaboration with KataKata Café and Lambeth Made, supports young deaf residents by providing paid work experience in a café setting.
Candidates will receive coaching in areas such as barista training, food prep, customer service and floristry. The project aims to support the unique skills of each individual, leading them to secure permanent sustainable employment.
Read about their supported internship opportunities on the BeLambeth supported employment webpage.
For more information on supported internships and all supported employment opportunities, contact the Inclusive Employment Team at inclusiveemployment@lambeth.gov.uk
What are supported internships?
Supported internships are study programmes based in the workplace. They help young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan take the important step from education into employment.
Internships are unpaid and usually last between six and nine months. The interns follow study programmes that give them all the training, support and work skills they need to move straight into work.
Most of the learning is done in a real workplace. An employer gives the interns work experience, trains them to do a real job role, giving them the chance to learn the skills needed for work.
Tutors support the interns with their learning. Job coaches get the interns ready to search for jobs, help them make applications and prepare for interviews.
Interns can also study for qualifications and might do other training or learning as part of a personalised study programme that helps you be ready to take up a job.
Why supported internships?
Supported internships are the best route into paid employment for many young people with education, health and care plans. They offer real work experience combined with all the support of being in school or college.
Who are they for?
Supported internships are for young people aged 16-24 with an EHC plan who want to move into employment and need extra support to do so.
Where to find them
All further education colleges, sixth form and independent specialist providers can offer supported internships.
Local colleges offering supported internships include:
Find out more
Find out about supported internships from schools, colleges, social workers, transition workers, charities or from Job Centre Plus.
Mencap, the learning disability charity, runs supported internships across the country.
Ambitious about Autism runs a programme called Employ Autism for autistic people aged 16-25. The programme provides opportunities to access paid work experience with leading organisations and companies. The charity also runs a Supported Internship programme that is open to young people aged 19-25 with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, autism or learning difficulty, who would like the opportunity to learn about the workplace by being in work.