Providing opportunities for young people with special educational needs

We are proud to be a disability confident employer and seek to build an organisational culture which helps all colleagues to thrive in their roles. 

One of the ways in which we do this is through our Supported Internships programme which allows young people with learning difficulties to gain invaluable experience of working life.

Our supported internships include a work placement, lasting between 6-12 months, where for 16 hours a week students learn professional and interpersonal skills.

The purpose of a Supported Internship is for the student to learn a job role until they are able to carry out all tasks independently.

As well as gaining practical and technical skills, the students are given space to adapt to working life and learn about the importance of developing positive habits such as being punctual, presentable and how to communicate clearly with colleagues.

Dee Kumari our Apprenticeship, Volunteer and Placement Coordinator said: “We actively encourage placements and work with colleagues in various departments giving guidance, facilitation and support to provide a meaningful experience for those undertaking supported Internships and work placements with us.”

In recent years, we have placed students at The Hive College in Stockland Green, Birmingham into Supported Internships. The college provide a work coach to support the young people both during their internships and for three years after they are in employment.

Ruth Martin, Placements Coordinator at The Hive College said: “The Hive has been partnering with GreenSquareAccord for several years now in delivering Supported Internships. This relationship has presented our students with fantastic opportunities to gain vital experience, develop their skills and to ultimately, move into paid work.

“GreenSquareAccord have provided a nurturing, yet challenging environment in which our students have thrived. We looked forward to developing our partnership and seeing even more young people achieve their dream of a job.”

We actively encourage applications from individuals with disabilities and provide access, adjustments, equipment and other practical support.

We are a Level 2 Disability Confident employer which means we have been assessed as an employer taking all the core actions needed to support colleagues with disabilities.

For more information on our Supported Internships contact our recruitment.mailbox@greensquareaccord.co.uk.