Derwen College celebrates National Supported Internship Day

Mason enjoys a work placement at Super Finish Garage.

Premier Inn’s Lin, Megan, Cierwen, Sarah and Derwen College Hospitality & Food lead David.

We are proud to celebrate National Supported Internship Day on 27 March, highlighting the life‑changing impact of supported internships for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We currently have 11 supported interns at our Gobowen and Telford campuses, who are honing their work skills thanks to partnerships with businesses across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. Each intern’s work placements are matched with their future employment aspirations.

A supported internship is a tailored, work‑based study programme for young people aged 16–25 with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, designed to support their journey into paid employment. National Supported Internship Day raises awareness of these programmes and helps young people, families and employers learn more about inclusive, high‑quality routes into work.

To mark the day, staff, students and employers showed their support by wearing orange beanie hats and sharing experiences of how supported internships are helping young people develop skills, confidence and independence in the workplace.

Derwen College offers supported internships across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, working closely with local employers to create meaningful work placements matched to each young person’s interests, strengths and career goals. Interns receive personalised support from experienced job coaches, helping them to learn new skills, build confidence and prepare for paid employment.

Supported internships play a vital role

Natalie Martin, Supported Internships Manager at Derwen College, said: “Supported internships play a vital role in helping young people with an EHC plan move closer to paid employment. By working closely with employers, job coaches and families, we can provide structured, personalised support that enables interns to develop workplace skills, confidence and independence.

“National Supported Internship Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our interns and to thank the employers who work with us to create inclusive workplaces where young people can thrive.”

Teddy the therapy dog supports Supported Internship Day.

For interns, supported internships can be an important step towards independence and employment.

Anthony, who works at British Heart Foundation shop, Telford Community Grocery and Special Needs Activity Centre (SNAC), Telford, said: “My supported internship has helped me communicate better and follow workplace rules. It makes me feel happy and more confident. In the future, I would like to work at the British Heart Foundation.”

Callum, who works at Care-Plus Horticulture, Weston Park and Weeping Cross Nursery, said: “My internship makes me feel happy and has helped me work more independently. I’m not sure yet where I’d like to work in the future, but I feel more confident about what I can do.”

Brayden, who works at Anytime Fitness, McDonalds and Oakengates Leisure Centre, said:
“My supported internship has helped me improve my confidence. In the future, I would like to work in a leisure centre.”

Interns are accompanied by a job coach, who supports them in their role and gradually withdraws support as the student becomes more confident.

Job coach Julie said: “The best part about being a job coach is watching a student’s confidence grow. Seeing them go from strength to strength and become more independent as the weeks and terms go by is incredibly rewarding. Getting a job offer is the goal, and seeing how proud they are of what they have worked towards makes it all worthwhile.”

Derwen College works with a wide range of employers across different sectors, including hospitality, retail, care, horticulture and administration. Employers value both the support provided by Derwen’s job coaches and the positive contribution interns make to their teams.

Employer Dan, from Community Grocery, said: “Having a supported intern brings personality and energy to our workplace. Supported interns are enriching to our team and have helped promote inclusion, diversity and equality across the business. One of the best things for us has been learning new skill sets around supporting and managing people, and it has given us a fresh perspective. Supported interns make our workplace brighter, and I would absolutely recommend supported internships to other employers.”

National Supported Internship Day highlights the importance of inclusive employment pathways and the role that employers, educators and communities play in supporting young people with SEND into work.

Find out more about supported internships at Derwen College at www.derwen.ac.uk. If your business would like to support a young person with SEND to get into employment, please email Natalie.martin@derwen.ac.uk.