Starting 2024 in style

It’s been a fast-paced and rewarding start to the year for our teams supporting people with a learning disability into work.

We’re proud to highlight just some of the recent successes, ranging from the academic to the highly technical. The people we work with are capable of so much and it’s fantastic to see them thrive.?

Learners thriving in work placements?

Emily is currently enrolled on our Central London supported internship programme and started a work experience placement with Bella Italia at their Shaftesbury Avenue venue in October.

Emily had her formal review before Christmas where she revealed how happy she is working there. She spoke so positively about feeling more confident and about the support she has received from everyone in her team. Emma’s mum commended all the staff for their on-going support to help Emily develop and was very happy with the progress she is making.

Emily’s manager said: “I’m so pleased to hear Emily found herself well in Bella Italia. She is such a lovely girl and I need to say she has done a great job in the last couple of months.”?

?At the review, Emily also said that she would love to extend her working hours which she has started to do in the new year.?

A huge well done to Emily and to Bella Italia for creating such a supportive and welcoming environment that enables young people like Emily to succeed.??

Exam success in Worcester?

As well as supporting learners with exciting work experience placements, our supported internship programmes also offer learners the chance to achieve academically, by developing English and maths skills. Three learners on our supported internship in Worcester learned of exam success in January.??

Chloe, Laura, and Adam all worked extremely hard during revision sessions for their English exams and were able to sit components of these exams before the Christmas break. Laura and Adam both sat level 2 writing exams, and Chloe sat level 2 reading.??

They are now all working hard towards the next components in their Functional Skills English qualifications. They are all making great progress, as are the rest of the learners revising for their English exams. We're looking forward to sharing more of their successes soon!?

Instilling the drive to succeed in young people?

We like to keep in touch with the people who complete our programmes to keep updated about their later achievements. We were thrilled to hear recently from Josh who completed our supported internship programme.??

Josh is now volunteering at Sunny Bank Mills in Leeds and is considering applying to study a degree in History and Warfare.??

While on our supported internship programme, Josh was supported by his Mencap caseworker to study for his driving theory test, which he successfully passed. Josh then got back in touch with his caseworker to let them know he has now successfully passed his driving test and has got his licence.

This is a massive achievement for Josh, it will allow him to be more independent and access different opportunities like going to university.??

Discovering new careers in Staffordshire?

Sometimes our programmes and the work experience placements we offer surprise the people on our programmes and exceed all their expectations.?

This has been the case for Joel who is currently enrolled on our Staffordshire supported internship. Joel agreed to go on a placement with Wincanton at their site in Fradley as a way of developing transferrable skills to help realise his ambition of working with cars in the future.??

Joel’s trainers at Wincanton were fantastic as they quickly picked up on his passion for vehicles. They introduced him to Material Handling Equipment (MHE) vehicle training. This soon exposed Joel’s natural ability for driving, allowing him to express his passion.??

This opportunity has now made Joel want to pursue a career driving the Low Level Order Pick (LLOP) vehicles at Wincanton. The team at Wincanton have been very happy to support him in this ambition and introduced Joel to his LLOP theory and practical training which he managed to pass within two days of his first try!??

Well done Joel for being open minded about trying new kinds of work, going above and beyond with your training and making Mencap Staffordshire and Wincanton so incredibly proud.?

A massive thanks must also go to the fantastic team at Wincanton for how they have adapted all training to suit Joels needs and broke down each and every task so he had the best chance of success.??

Learners benefiting from a wide range of enrichment activity?

Besides work experience and the learning we deliver in our classrooms, our supported internships also provide access for learners to a wide range of additional activities that aid the development of their skills and confidence and help to broaden their horizons.??

This month, we have started to offer all our supported internship access to virtual fitness sessions. Groups from our North East London and Staffordshire programmes accessed the sessions recently which they all greatly enjoyed. The sessions brought laughter and smiles from everyone who took part, with some joining in physically and others by counting reps and cheering on their friends.

It has showed everyone how easy it can be to do exercises with no equipment, inspiring them to be more active and healthy. Some learners have since expressed a desire to sign up to a gym as they have realised how easily they can engage with and enjoy physical exercise.??

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Providing early access to careers learning?

Our Right Start programmes are delivered in special schools to provide early access to careers learning that many pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) do not ordinarily get the chance to experience compared to their peers in mainstream settings.??

In just the space of a few weeks, we quickly see what an impact such activities can have on young people – their confidence and focus.?

Ezra, for example, is 16 and has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Ezra, experiences anxiety and sensory integration difficulties which can impact on all areas of his life, as well as challenges with communicating and interacting with other, repetitive behaviours and understanding feelings and emotions.?

Ezra’s anxiety was first heightened by the introduction of a new programme to his school. But our caseworker took a tailored approach, encouraging and giving space for Ezra to ask questions and explore his thoughts and feelings.?

Ezra’s attitude toward the programme quickly changed when we introduced a workshop entitled ‘Exploring Jobs That Suit Me’ which revealed Ezra’s keen interest in working for Transport for London (TFL).?

We supported Ezra to explore this interest further and the steps involved in pursing his work-related aspirations. This increased his confidence and sense of achievement. He was able to identify his strengths and goals, develop his skills in using online databases, create a vocational profile, develop a CV and practice his interview skills.?

It was through the interview exercise that Ezra’s enthusiasm and confidence shined the brightest. He strode into the classroom in a suit and tie ready to take on his mock interview. This was the last Right Start workshop which was designed for the students to apply the skills and knowledge they had gained from the programme. In the week before this workshop, Ezra and his classmates learnt how to prepare for an interview which included how to ‘dress to impress’, which he certainly did!

To find out more about our Education, Skills and Work programmes and to explore enrolling or working with us as an employer partner, please visit our website.?