Celebrating National Supported Internship Day with the Princess of Wales Hospital
27/03/2024DFN Project SEARCH is celebrating its second annual celebration of National Supported Internship Day today, 27 March, to raise awareness of the positive impact that supported internships have on individuals, organisations, and communities as a whole.
Bridgend College has been working alongside both DFN Project SEARCH, Hft and ELITE Supported Employment for several years and is committed to providing all its students with the best opportunities possible. The Princess of Wales Hospital, located in the heart of Bridgend and managed by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, is one of two host organisations that the College works with to implement the programme. Last year, we visited phs Group in Caerphilly to mark the National Supported Internship day’s inaugural celebration.
Both organisations take on eight students each year and offer a variety of roles and employment experiences to help them develop their skills and inform their future career paths.
“I wanted to get a paid job one day but I knew that I needed some confidence and a little encouragement. So, after some inspiration, I decided to apply for the DFN Project Search course.
So far it’s been an incredible journey of growing my confidence and getting to know the place, knowing my colleagues and working in a team – it’s been quite an experience.”
Morgan Griffiths, DFN Project SEARCH Intern
The internship programme is aligned with the academic year. At the Princess of Wales Hospital, interns initially spend three weeks completing onboarding activities within the classroom and adapting to being in the host business environment before commencing their initial rotations. Each rotation is a 10-week work placement based within different areas across the hospital, from administrative departments to wards.
This dynamic approach to placements enables the interns to benefit from a range of work experience whilst also understanding what it’s like to be an employee. They have the opportunity to gain work skills whilst increasing their confidence with the aim that, upon completion of the programme, they will be ready to find employment and lead independent lives.
In November 2023, the Princess of Wales Hospital was recognised for excellence in having achieved over 70% employment for students upon completion of the internship programme.
The programme follows the DFN Project SEARCH employability curriculum which focuses on providing transferable skills needed both for the workplace and independent living. Interns have the advantage of studying these skills in context, enabling them to apply them in the workplace. Key areas for development are communication, technology, social skills, maintaining employment, applying for jobs, health and wellbeing, and financial literacy.
“From my perspective, it not only benefits the interns in terms of them gaining work experience, but it also helps to change perceptions and ideas that people may have about people with additional learning needs. When you actually spend time working with someone who has additional learning needs you might think ‘they’re more capable than I originally thought’, and it helps the organisation to foster inclusion and understand that sometimes there are different routes to achieving the same result.”
Zoë Shields, Supported Internship Tutor Assessor at Bridgend College
DFN Project SEARCH is a charity that enables young adults with additional learning needs, autism or both to receive onsite training and work experience. Their one-year programme helps people gain valuable skills and increase their chances of gaining paid employment. The charity aims to support over 10,000 people into paid employment by 2030
To see how Bridgend College can support you and help kickstart your career, check out our DFN Project SEARCH supported internship programmes with Princess of Wales Hospital and phs Group.
To learn more about DFN Project SEARCH and how you can get involved, visit www.dfnprojectsearch.org
