On 5 November 2024, The Mencap Training Academy was proud to host our first ever employer awards ceremony. As a provider of
supported internships
A work placement for young people with additional needs, where they get support from a job coach.
that last year worked with 57 employers, we thought it high time we recognised the incredible efforts our employer partners make in supporting young people with a
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
and
autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
take their first steps into the world of work.
We couldn’t have held the event without the generous support of Greene King. The Coach House room at their historic George pub by London Bridge provided an impressive and welcoming backdrop to the event. Attendees mingled before the awards ceremony, enjoying the excellent food at the buffet and the range of drinks on offer. They were excellently served by staff at The George, as well as by Mencap Training Academy learners Eitan and Kamari who signed them in at the front desk, while Oliver and Artyom applied learning from placements with Greene King to serve drinks.
Also present were members of Mencap’s fundraising team who promoted all the other ways employers can support Mencap besides offering work experience placements. They held a raffle for a range of prizes that proved very popular, with all tickets sold, helping to raise lots of money for Mencap and our wider work.
What was said at the Mencap Training Academy employer awards?
Mencap CEO, Jon Sparkes kicked off proceedings with a speech thanking all attendees for their efforts in supporting our learners.
Jon contrasted the 26.7% rate of people with a learning disability found in our Big Learning Disability
Survey
A survey is when someone asks you to answer some questions.
with the 68% of Mencap Training Academy learners who in 2023/24 progressed from our supported internship programmes into a paid job. This impressive statistic is testament to the dedication of our employer partners to supporting inclusion in the workplace.
Who presented the Mencap Training Academy employer awards?
Mencap’s Mark Capper and Ciara Lawrence then did an excellent job of presenting the awards.
Who were the winners and nominees of the first Mencap Training Academy employer awards?
Best Workplace Culture
Winners: Delfont Mackintosh who provide a super friendly and welcoming environment at several of their west end theatres for our learners, inviting them along to team socials and offering them opportunities to grow.
- Nominees: CBRE, The Entertainer, Royal Sun Alliance and Wincanton.
Biggest Individual Contribution
Winners: Gez Prendergast, Wincanton who has spearheaded the development of a fantastic partnership that has resulted in at least 3 of our learners getting a paid job each year. Gez is a constant champion of our programme and of our learners.
- Nominees: Eloise Heneghan - West Northamptonshire Council, Paul Imber – King's College London, Pawel Salaga – The Big Table Group, Robert Cooke – Greene King.
Above and Beyond Award
Winners: Fair Shot Cafe who have gone above and beyond by supporting with the recruitment of learners, as well as extending amazing additional opportunities to them like making a film. They also help secure interviews for learners with other hospitality companies meaning all our learners who did
work experience
Work
experience
Experience is when you have learned or tried something before.
is when you try out a job to help you learn new skills.
with them last year were offered a paid job at the end of the programme!
- Nominees: The British Heart Foundation, Evri and The Financial Times.
Local Employer Partner of the Year
Winners: The Midlands Arts Centre who hosted 5 of our learners in placements last year ranging from technician work to working in the cafe. 2 of our learners got paid jobs at the centre, while they also hosted our Birmingham cohort’s end of year celebrations.
- Nominees: 3 Beans Cafe (Birmingham), Howden’s (Northamptonshire), Mark’s and Spencer’s (Paddington) and Yusen Logistics (Northamptonshire).
National Employer Partner of the Year
Winners: Greene King who have been incredible champions of our programmes and learners over the years. In 2023/24 12 of the 17 learners who did their placements in Greene King pubs secured a paid job. We work with Greene King in every area where we deliver the supported internship and look forward to building further on our successful partnership for many more years to come.
- Nominees: Bella Italia, Wincanton.
Going forwards, we aim to make the awards an annual event. We hope that, besides further inspiring current partners, it also helps raise awareness among other employers regarding the benefits of working with the Mencap Training Academy and with young people with a learning disability so we can continue to work with more and more
organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses.
committed to inclusion.
If you would like to know more about the work of The Mencap Training Academy, visit our webpage or get in touch by email to: employment.support@mencap.org.uk.
If your business does not have a presence in any of the areas where we currently deliver the supported internship programme, you can still support Mencap in lots of other ways. Find out more on our website or email: corporate.fundraising@mencap.org.uk.