Our employer-led supported internship in Birmingham
Learners on our employer-led supported internship in Birmingham complete up to 900 hours of
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.
between September and July. Learners are based permanently at a single site.
Learners complete work experience with the
NHS
The NHS is the National Health
Service
A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support.
. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals.
at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.
The programme is also delivered in partnership with a charity called DFN Project Search.
What kind of work do learners do on this programme?
Learners on this programme complete a series of work experience placements in different departments at Heartlands Hospital, including:
- Non-patient transport (moving equipment around the hospital)
- Non-commission transport (moving medicine around the hospital)
- Catering
- Housekeeping
- Portering
- Medical records
- Compliance and general administration
A typical day on this programme
- 9am to 10am - classroom learning focused on employabiltiy skills
- 10am to 3.30pm - work experience supported by a Mencap Training Academy skills coach
- 3.30pm to 4pm - classroom time to reflect on the days activities.
How do young people enrol on this programme?
To express an interest in joining our employer-led supported internship in Birmingham and to start the enrolment process, please complete our online expression of interest form. Please specify that you are interested in completing a programme in Birmingham, and select Heartlands Hospital as the employer you are interested in doing work experience with.
If you or the person you are enquiring on behalf of are eligible for a supported internship, then a member of the team will work to get in touch with you within 14 working days.
Before we can agree to enrol learners, we will need to see a copy of the young person's EHCP and to meet with them to discuss why they want to enrol on the programme, as well as their skills, needs and interests.
Our Birmingham prospectus
You can find out more about all our programmes in Birmingham in our 2025/26 prospectus.
Learners on this programme are based permanently at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham. The hospital is 1.3 miles from Stechford train station. It is also close to bus stops on the 97 and 97A routes (Colonial Road bus stop) and the 17 and 891 routes (Hobmoor Road bus stop).
We understand that some people may not have much experience of travelling on their own and may feel nervous about finding their way to Heartlands Hospital.
You will have the chance to visit the site before starting on the course as part of the enrolment process so potential learners can start to familiarise themselves with the journey then.
You may also be able to get some travel support before joining the course from your local council.
Mencap can also provide travel training for up to 6 weeks at the start of the programme.
If you would like to enquire about enrolling on our employer-led supported internship in Birmingham, then the best way to start the process is by completing our online expression of interest form.
However, if you would like to get in touch with a member of the team directly, then please contact the programme coordinator in Birmingham, Mia Smith.
07814 938 821
For general enquiries, you can also contact: employment.support@mencap.org.uk