An internship programme in Dagenham has been helping young people with learning disabilities to secure paid employment and boost their confidence.
The scheme, called the Reach programme, is hosted at Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, and run by Everyone Active in collaboration with London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and Barking & Dagenham College.
The centre joined up with Barking & Dagenham College in 2019, to create a Supported Internship Programme for students aged between 16 and 24, with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders.
Operating four days a week, including one at Barking & Dagenham College, the initiative lets interns study various courses, plus English and mathematics.
Interns also work within the leisure centre, gaining practical experience in different departments, such as the soft play area, the café and the changing areas.
With each rotating through these roles every ten weeks, they acquire vital understanding of various job roles and the skills needed to be an employee.
Teja Seehra, an intern benefiting from the Reach programme, said: "I’ve learnt lots of new skills whilst being at Becontree Leisure Centre, skills I didn’t know at college like customer service skills and health and safety in the workplace.
"These skills are going to hopefully get me into paid work, and I will be able to also use them in everyday life as I really enjoy talking to the customers and helping the staff – it’s given me a real sense of purpose."
The internship sessions are run by Emma Antoniou, a senior job coach, and Nicky Chaplin, general manager at Everyone Active.
Ms Chaplin said: "The Reach programme offers a unique opportunity for young adults with SEND needs to have access to career exploration, integrated learning through classroom instruction and hands-on skills training with the support of a job coach.
"With five interns now attending the programme, we are thrilled to have been able to secure fantastic long-term positions for two of our interns last year and are looking to employ another intern at the end of their 2024 April term.
"It has been amazing to see how the members of the programme have grown."
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