Information about Mencap's supported internship programme
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Who are Mencap?
The Royal Mencap Society (Mencap) is a national charity. Our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world for people with learning disabilities to live happy and healthy lives.
To make this vision a reality, we provide lots of support like
supported living
Supported living is when you live in your own home with support from staff. People who live in supported living have a tenancy agreement.
services, information, advice and
guidance
Guidance means being given clear instructions to be able to do something well.
, campaigns and support to find
employment
Employment means having a job.
. The Mencap Training Academy is a specialist post 16 provider of
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
and training to young people aged 16-24 to help them find work.
What are supported internships?
Supported internships
A work placement for young people with additional needs, where they get support from a job coach.
are programmes for 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.
that help them to find work.
They are year-long study programmes that run from September to July and involve:
Education
Learners attend sessions where they learn about the skills and behaviours needed for the world of work. You will also learn some English and maths and can explore taking qualifications in these.
Sessions are delivered to groups of around 10 people.
Work experience
Learners are required to complete at least 420 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.
over the year. This amounts to 18 hours a week - spread across 2-3 days a week.
This can be in lots of different kinds of roles and
organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses.
depending on what you are interested in, your skills and needs.
Who can do a supported internship?
To do a supported internship,
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council Tax is the money that people pay to the council. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (
NHS
The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals.
) should work.
requires learners to:
- Be aged 16-24
- Have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
- Want to find a job
You do not need to have any qualifications.
Supported internships are free to join and are paid for by the government and your local council. If you receive universal credit, however, this may have to cease in order for you to take the programme. Your benefits will be unaffected if you receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP). To find out more about how your benefits may be affected by enrolling on a support internships, visit the Universal Credit and students page on the government website.
How does a Mencap supported internship work?
More choice
As a national charity with a well known brand, Mencap has partnerships with lots of different employers in lots of different sectors. Our learners do work experience in areas like retail, hospitality, logistics, healthcare and administration.
If you don’t yet know what kind of work you want to do, then our team and our careers lead will help you to understand what kind of jobs would be a good fit for you based on your skills, needs and interests. There are lots of different kinds of jobs out there that you might not have even heard of before, that could be a great fit!
We can’t promise that you will find your dream job through the programme, but we will help you to gain experience of work that is suited to you, and that, alongside the learning sessions we deliver, will teach you transferrable skills that will help you develop a successful career.
Employment pathways
At the start of the programme, you can choose between different ‘employment pathways’. These are work experience placements with a specific employer. We usually offer around 5 pathways to choose from in different sectors, so there should be something that you find interesting.
Depending on which pathway you are on, we will adapt our teaching during classroom sessions to ensure you develop the skills and behaviours needed to succeed in different types of roles and workplaces.
What will I do in the classroom?
Learners on a supported internship attend sessions at our classrooms for 1.5 days a week between 10am and 4pm. During these hours you will learn skills and behaviours needed for the workplace, as well as developing your English and maths which are also often needed in the world of work.
Our curriculum covers:
English and communication skills
- Speaking and listening
- Communicating in an appropriate way
- Following instructions
- Engaging in meaningful discussions
- Reading
- Writing appropriate to role/career development
- Personal and life skills
- Preparation for assessments.
Employability skills
- Finding and applying for jobs
- Writing and maintaining CVs
- Demonstrating competency in interviews
- Working in a safe way
- Working with supervision/others
- Dealing with problems at work.
Behaviour and attitudes
- Personal presentation
- Keeping healthy and mental wellbeing
- Behaving appropriately at work
- Reacting to people appropriately
- Managing time
- Taking
responsibility
Responsibility is managing or being in charge of something.
- Keeping safe and safe
relationships
Relationships are about the people in your life. You might have different types of relationships like friendships, family relationships, or a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Making choices and decisions
- Understanding British
Values
Values are the things that are important to you. Mencap's values are being passionate, inclusive, brave, positive, and kind.
.
Maths
- Numeracy skills relevant to learners’ work experience
- Personal and life skills
- Preparation for assessment
- Money management.
Digital
- Online safety
- Using different platforms and software like Teams, Google Docs, Word, PowerPoint.
Enrichment
As part of a supported internship, you will also take part in extra curricular activities that will also help to develop your skills and confidence.
This could include visits to museums and art galleries, sport and games, trips to the theatre.
Careers, education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)
During your time on our supported internship, you will benefit from regular CEIAG.
All supported internship learners meet one-to-one with Mencap’s qualified careers advisor at least once, while you will be supported to understand careers and what options are available to you throughout the year.
About supported internship pathways 1-5
Use this tool to find out more about the supported internship pathways 1-5.
How to use this advice tool (Easy Read)
We have made Easy Read instructions on how to use this tool to find the things you want to know about.
Read the instructionsSelect the pathway you are interested in:
Jack's story
Jack completed Mencap’s supported internship in Birmingham in 2022/23.
Jack was very talented with computers so we arranged a work placement for him at the Birmingham Women’s and
Children’s Hospital in their IT team.
Jack impressed while on placement and was added to the hospital trust’s bank of relief staff. He continued to apply for roles and to attend interviews, and eventually secured a permanent role in his team - the clinical systems support team - at the hospital. Jack was thrilled to start his “dream career” in the NHS and recently returned to Mencap’s premises in Birmingham to give an inspiring presentation to this years supported interns.
Where do Mencap hold supported internship programmes?
Our supported internship programmes are available in:
Step 1: Get in touch by 31st March 2024
You can reach out and tell us a bit about yourself and why you want to do a supported internship by completing our online form.
Alternatively, you can email: employment.support@mencap.org.uk
Step 2: Arrange a meeting
You can reach out and tell us a bit about yourself and why you want to do a supported internship by completing our online form which you can access using the QR code. If you meet the basic criteria, we will arrange to meet with you. Before then we will request a copy of your EHCP so we can discuss this at the meeting.
We may ask for a follow up meeting or to observe you in your current education setting to assess whether the programme is suitable for you.
Step 3: Complete a vocational profile
This will help us understand what skills, interests
and experience you have.- Step 4: Identify a suitable work pathway
If we decide the programme is suitable for you, we will work with you to understand which of our work experience pathways is the best fit for you. We may also ask you to attend an open day with the employer before you start the programme so you know a bit about the workplace you will be going in to
CEIAG stands for Careers, education, information, advice and guidance.
During your time on our supported internship, you will benefit from regular CEIAG.
All supported internship learners meet one-to-one with Mencap’s qualified careers advisor at least once, while you will be supported to understand careers and what options are available to you throughout the year.
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 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.
Mencap can also provide travel training for up to 6 weeks at the start of the programme to help learners learn the routes to their work placements.
Email our Employment team for more information about the Mencap Training Academy or our supported internships.