A law firm offering young people with learning difficulties internships has found the process rewarding for both the firm and the young people.
Leeds-based Ison Harrison has struck up a partnership with Shipley College in West Yorkshire to offer student internships de-signed to build confidence and improve life skills. Two students, 21-year-old Jack Driver and 10-year-old Sumaira Yasmin, have both moved on to paid employment as admin assistants with the firm.
The scheme has proved such a success that the firm is encouraging other local businesses to do the same.
“Having our first intern in Jack was very rewarding from a personal point of view but also for the business to know about and get involved with young people with learning difficulties”, Paul Allison, Ison Harrison’s facilities manager, told Community Living.
The law firm, which has 12 offices across West Yorkshire, agreed to take the two students as part of the College’s supported internship programme, an innovative scheme that offers students on the job mentoring in commercial environments.
“Jack and Sumaira had never had jobs before so this is a major achievement for both of them”, said Mr Allison. “Jack is severely autistic and when I first met him he was extremely quiet and lacked confidence. Since joining us he has blossomed – he enjoys interacting with other members of staff, his confidence has grown massively and he is very independent, travel- ling to work on the train by himself which is a daunting challenge. He’s even passed his driving test recently so this just proves how far he has come.”
“Sumaira settled into the role from the outset. She has a tremendous attitude, an infectious smile and is eager to please. Her computing skills are really good and one of her main responsibilities is data inputting for the firm. Mentoring these young people has been very rewarding for me as I’ve never done anything like this before and to see the end result makes me feel proud of everything we have achieved together.”
The pair have now taken starring roles in a new video produced by Shipley College which provides an insight into how their internships led to permanent, life-changing roles. The video can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/206567359
Managing partner at Ison Harrison, Jonathan Wearing, added: “We were approached to support Shipley College and realised that we could provide real hands-on support that would make a difference to peoples’ lives. The whole process is very rewarding for both parties – the business benefits from gaining enthusiastic new team members and the individuals themselves are provided with a good career and real prospects. I would strongly encourage other local businesses to get involved by providing the same opportunities for youngsters with learning difficulties and discover what a rewarding and worthwhile experience this can be. We have seen firsthand the difference simply giving someone a chance can make to their life.”
Attila Darvas, Shipley’s Supported Internship Programme Co-ordinator, told Community Living: “We have been running the Supported internship Programme since 2012 and we successfully place learners with special educational needs into part time and full time employment every year. The jobs negotiated by the end of each year are mainly part time. Between 2012 and 2016, 47% of Shipley College supported interns gained employment and of
those 27% gained paid employment*.
“We also work with other third party agencies to provide an alternative exit route for those learners who are not offered a job by the end of their internship.”
She added: “The success of Jack and Sumaira’s internships prove that workplace mentoring is an effective and rewarding experience for mentors and mentees. We already work with many local businesses who are offering young people on this programme the opportunity to join their workforce and have had very positive feedback about the value of this for their business as well as for the interns. We are always looking for supportive local businesses to provide real job opportunities and would urge them to follow Ison Harrison’s lead.”
* In England the employment rate of people with learning disabilities continues to drop and currently stands at just 6%.
Shipley College delivers a wide variety of courses under the Foundation Learning sector such as: Supported Internships, Using Employability Skills, Vocational Studies, Independent Living and Functional Skills (English and Maths).
For information about courses at Shipley College go to: http://www.shipley.ac.uk/courses/categories/entry-(supportedlearning)/? type=full-time
For information on supported internships: http://www.shipley.ac.uk/employers/other-ways-to-get-involved/supportedinternships
