During my time in my previous career as a school leader, I witnessed first-hand how students with SEND, leaving education, struggled to gain access to meaningful work, especially in fields they were passionate about. Forward2Employment was created in Medway and Kent to change their outcomes, by helping them gain employment through our supported internship programme.
This supports young people aged 16 to 24 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are based in Kent and Medway. The programme runs for 38 weeks, following a similar term structure to schools. Each week, interns attend the workplace for four days and spend one day improving their employability and independence skills. The aim is to support young people into paid employment by the end of the programme, either within their placement or through references and work experience added to their CV.
From humble beginnings
Forward2Employment started in 2018, with a pilot year of three interns and one job coach. We worked closely with one business, the medical and dental supplier Henry Schein, who partnered with us during this pilot. It was such a success that they hired many of the interns from that year’s placement and have continued to support us by taking on supported interns each year.
From this pilot, it was clear that we were onto something significant. We expanded further, with more businesses joining to help us on our commitment to improve the chances for our young people with SEND. The programme has grown rapidly, with the 2024-2025 cohort reaching 38 interns and being supported by eight job coaches.
We have also further expanded our provision to include a supported employment programme, where we support people aged 18-64 with SEND into employment. This is by helping them with job searches, improve their CV, and even provide interview support. This programme is bespoke to each client, where we offer as much or as little support as needed.
Our success has been recognised with a ‘good’ rating in both our Ofsted and British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) inspections. However, the most rewarding aspect for myself and the team is the success of our supported interns and Supported Employment clients. Since our pilot, we have seen 33 interns and Supported Employment clients gain paid employment, with more expected to achieve this by the end of this academic year.
No plain sailing
While we have seen significant success from our programmes, there have been challenges. One of the biggest was the Covid pandemic. During lockdown, many businesses limited the number of workers due to social distancing which meant that many of our interns had to stay at home. However, my brilliant team ensured that the interns continued to gain experiences by using their hobbies to improve their work and independence skills, as well as strengthening their CVs and helping them apply for jobs. Fortunately, when lockdowns were lifted most businesses we worked with continued to support us and take on supported interns.
Throughout my years in education I have seen how people with SEND can be stereotyped, and this became even clearer when starting Forward2Employment. When we began reaching out to businesses and even some young people, there was a belief that they could only achieve work in specific areas, such as labouring. An important role of Forward2Employment has been to debunk these beliefs and encourage businesses and interns to expand their horizons regarding what people with SEND can achieve.
We’re in this together
While there is still a way to go to get more people to understand that individuals with SEND can achieve their goals (sometimes with just a little bit of help), we can see that the narrative is changing. Schools and colleges are encouraging their students to dream about their careers, and businesses are starting to promote inclusivity in their workforces to include people with SEND. We hope to see this expand further and are excited to see where Forward2Employment goes on its journey to improve the outcomes for people with SEND.
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