Our north west London pre-internship
Learners on our pre-internship in north west London attend careers learning sessions to develop their skills and confidence 3 days a week between September and July. The course involves some
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.
and other forms of employer engagement.
What do pre-internship learners do in class?
Topics covered include:
- Exploring the world of work
- Exploring what good CVs and cover letters look like
- Understanding how to job search
- Identifying positive
interview
An interview is a meeting where you talk to someone or a group of people about something. When you have an interview for a job, you have to answer questions and say why you would be good at the job. The person who gives the best answers is offered the job.
skills and describing my skills to others - Expected workplace behaviours and health and safety at work
- How to work in a team
- Prioritising and time management.
Engaging with employers on our north west London pre-internship
As part of the pre-internship programme, learners also engage with employers. This could be in the form of guest speaker visits, or trips to employers' premises.
During terms 2 and 3, pre-internship learners must also complete a minimum of 45 hours of work experience. Learners are supported in their placement by a skills coach and could do work experience with a range of employers including:
Fair Shot Cafe. A cafe in Covent Garden, central London, that offers work experience to 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.
. Learners gain experience in barista work, preparing food and serving customers.
Greene King. The UK's biggest pub chain. Hospitality work experience placements available in front of house and back of house roles - waiting on tables, serving at the bar and working in kitchens.
Delfont Mackintosh. Theatre operator in London's west end. Front of house placements available - selling tickets and merchandise and showing audience members to their seats.
Bella Italia. Italian restaurant chain. Front and back of house work experience placements available.
You can find out more about employers we work with in London on our north west London supported internship page.
Where is it?
Learners on our north west London pre-internship attend sessions at Unit 3, 30 Friern Park in North Finchley 3 days a week between September and July. There may also be trips to other sites and work experience could take place at a range of locations.
The aim of the pre-internship is to prepare learners to progress onto our supported internship in north west London the following year.
How do young people enrol on this programme?
To express an interest in joining our pre-internship in north west London and to start the enrolment process, please complete our online expression of interest form.
If you or the person you are enquiring on behalf of are eligible for the programme, 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, as well as their skills, needs and interests.
Our London prospectus
You can find out more about all our programmes in London in our 2025/26 prospectus.
Our classroom where we deliver the classroom learning elements of our pre-internship in north west London is at Friern Park in north Finchley. It is a 0.6 mile (14 minute) walk from Woodside Park tube station. It is also close to bus stops on the 125, 263 and 383 routes (Tally Ho Corner and Torrington Park bus stops) and the 131 and 221 routes (Churchfield Avenue bus stop).
The work experience element of the course could potentially take place nearer to learners' homes if needed.
We understand that some people may not have much experience of travelling on their own and may feel nervous about finding their way to our classrooms and to their work experience placements.
We encourage people to come and visit our premises before enrolling to see what it’s like and to get a sense of the journey from home.
You may also be able to get some independent travel training support before joining the programme from your local council.
If you would like to enquire about enrolling on our supported internship in north west London, 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 north west London, Megan Clark.
0208 3461 237
For general enquiries, you can also contact: employment.support@mencap.org.uk