Forward2Employment works alongside Fortis Trust to support young people, with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND), in Kent, to find permanent and purposeful employment.
We provide Supported Internships for young adults, with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), aged 16-24, and a Supported Employment programme for people with additional needs and/or disabilities, aged 19-64.
We have been rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted and the British Association for Supported Employment in 2024.
Supported Internships
Supported Internships run on a 38-week structure, which mirror school terms. Interns attend the workplace 4 days a week and spend 1 day a week improving their employability and independence skills: including a personalised study programme. Most interns studying for a BTEC in Skills for Life and Skills for Work, as well as Functional Skills Maths and English. If there is a more appropriate qualification then we can consider this as an option, for example, a CSCS card
Supported Internships are so successful because they offer realistic, challenging and purposeful work placements with exceptional and sustained support from the Job Coach.
Job Coaches identify the skills the employer needs the intern to have. By breaking down the job into clearly identified tasks, our Job Coaches work with the intern to teach all the necessary skills. In addition, the Job Coach will help the intern understand and cope with the social aspects of work, such as workplace culture, timekeeping, health and safety and working with other employees. In consultation with the intern and business, the Job Coach will slowly withdraw that support.
Wherever possible, Supported Internships support the young person to move into paid employment at the end of the programme.
Benefits for Businesses
An Access to Work grant can cover the additional support a young person may need for the in-work element of supported internships, which young people with a disability or health condition can apply for through the Department for Work and Pensions’ Access to Work Fund.
As part of the support we offer to businesses, we provide you with a fully trained Job Coach who will offer guidance and support to both you and the intern. They work with you and the intern as much or as little as is required to ensure the placement runs smoothly and the needs of both parties are catered for.
There are a range of direct benefits for business owners, some of which are:
- Growing your own talent, without the process of recruiting and hiring, we see the internship as a yearlong working interview, where you can fully road test the intern risk free and get to know them and their full potential.
- Increase employee-retention rate, as evidence has found that there is a higher 5-year retention rate among employees originating from an internship programme.
- Free Disability Awareness Training for employees of the business, which helps the work culture have a more in-depth understanding of learning disabilities, autism and physical disabilities.
- Find candidates free of charge. The Supported Internship programme is free for both businesses and interns.
Supported Employment
Our Supported Employment programme supports clients with an additional need or disability who have left education to overcome barriers to employment. This person-centred approach enables our clients to recognise their skills and gain confidence in the recruitment process.
We are nationally recognised by the British Association for Supported Employment (BASE) as a ‘Good’ provider who delivers positive outcomes for the clients we support, empowering them to confidently enter the world of work, sure in the knowledge of our continued support.
To find out more about Forward2Employment and the programmes it offers, please visit our website: https://www.forward2employment.co.uk/
Get in touch:
Email: office@forward2employment.co.uk
Phone: 01634 683990