The College was delighted to mark National Supported Internship Day 2025, raising awareness about the importance of paid employment for young people with additional learning needs.
Joshua, one of our DFN Project SEARCH / Amazon interns, attended the first SEND Youth Parliament at the House of Commons, alongside his uncle and his tutor Angela Smith.
It was an inspirational day, where delegates got to meet the Minister for Disabilities and the Department of Work and Pensions, the Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms, as well as Baron Shinkwin from the House of Lords and the Rt Hon Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell.
It was a fantastic event with more than 100 interns, former graduates, tutors, job coaches and parents joining in the conversation with Ministers.
Questions to delegates ranged from ‘what is important to you as interns on supported internships?’ to ‘what could employers do to help interns on work placements?’
Josh responded that employers should be mindful not only of a person's learning disability but also of their physical needs. Josh also recognised that companies such as Amazon are willing to make reasonable adjustments in the workplace and he encouraged others to do the same.
Josh has had an amazing experience at Amazon and shared how his confidence has grown beyond his expectations since joining the College’s ILS Supported Internship Programme.
“The transformations I’ve seen from Josh and our other graduates who now work full time in Amazon's busy Customer Returns department is nothing short of staggering,” says Angela. “Their work ethic, reliability, timekeeping skills and their confidence to ask for help has made them all highly employable.”
ENDS
Despite having the skills and ambition to work, young people with a learning disability, or autistic young people, remain one of the most underrepresented groups in the UK workforce.
Launched in 2023 by DFN Project SEARCH, National Supported Internship Day is an opportunity to showcase the crucial role young adults with a learning disability, or autistic young people, play in the workforce, as well as the benefits of inclusive employment practices.