Post-16 options for young people with SEND
Combining work with studying or training (SEND)
Information for young people with SEND who wish to combine working and studying.
Supported internships
A supported internship is a kind of work experience that will last at least 6 months. They are unpaid, but the aim is to help you gain the skills and experience you need to secure a paid role at the end.
If you are at school before you start your internship, the careers leader at your school will help you arrange a suitable placement. Your placement will be named in your Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan.
NDTI has an easy-read guide on what supported internships are.
Supported internships can be provided by colleges, sixth forms and independent specialist providers. They will work with local employers to put together a study programme to give you the training, support and work skills required to help you get a job. The employer will provide you with work experience and train you in the role. You will also be supported by a tutor and a coach.
Support from Bucks Skills Hub
Buckinghamshire Skills Hub have resources and information to help you to decide on your next steps and think about the support you need. This could include:
- moving from school to college
- going to work
- taking further qualifications such as University-level study
Finding a supported internship
There are a number of supported internship schemes in Buckinghamshire including:
Other programmes available
Buckinghamshire College
Buckinghamshire College in partnership with Buckinghamshire Council run Life Skills programmes at their Aylesbury and Wycombe campuses. These programmes support young people with SEND to learn and work in the local community.
Thomley Life Skills
The ACHIEVE Life Skills programme is an entry-level life skills course teaching young people independent living skills alongside the qualifications they need to progress onto further education, apprenticeships, or employment.
They offer work experience and work closely with local colleges to prepare learners for their next steps.
The Internships Work programme will enable 4500 young adults, aged 16 to 25 with additional needs, to benefit from a supported internship per year by 2025.
The project is funded by the Department for Education and delivered by:
Amazing Apprenticeships
Amazing Apprenticeships' six-minute film follows the inspirational stories of apprentices with learning differences, disabilities and health conditions.
Learn how these apprentices are progressing in their careers through apprenticeships and the ways that their employers and training providers are supporting them.
(Video includes British Sign Language interpretation).
Amazing Apprenticeships has a range of SEND resources on its website.