The supported internship scheme began in September and a celebration of the young people’s work so far was held at Hammersmith Town Hall this week
Young people with special educational needs and disabilities are contributing to the success of Hammersmith & Fulham Council thanks to a new, innovative internship scheme.
H&F Council is working with Action on Disability, L’Oreal and West London College to provide a mentoring and a study programme alongside four days a week in the workplace.
“Experience in work is vital to help all young people realise their full potential as adults,” said Cllr Sue Fennimore, H&F Cabinet for Social Inclusion.
“For too long, residents with learning disabilities were not given the opportunity to discover how their talents could help businesses and other organisations, and this scheme is part of our efforts to address that.”
The scheme began in September and a celebration of the young people’s work so far was held at Hammersmith Town Hall this week.
It follows other initiatives this year, such as the launch of the H&F Partnership for Young People, a step-change in how H&F Council, businesses and charities are working together to improve young people’s lives.
There are nine young people, aged 19 to 25, working at Hammersmith Town Hall and L’Oreal during the 12-month scheme, moving between different departments to get as varied an experience as possible.
They include working with HR departments, post rooms, on reception, in IT and at children’s centres.
“This experience is giving me a great idea of what I will need to do to be successful in the future,” said Yousif, reflecting on his time on the course so far.
“I look forward to continuing to learn and making other new friends at the town hall.”
