An intern's guide to Supported Internship with The Legacy Project
As a student enrolled on the Supported Internship course, you can expect to embark on a journey discovering what the world of work is like both with classroom discussions and work-focused activities. In addition, you will be given access to an internship placement in your chosen career with a local business supported by a Job Coach. Your Job Coach will guide you through the whole process, empowering you to gain the skills and confidence you need to enter paid employment.
During College days, Interns complete an Employability Skills certificate which covers all the knowledge you need to prepare you for work. You will cover the importance of being punctual, reliable, and hard-working in the workplace. In addition to this, you will practice the social skills needed to feel confident when talking to work colleagues and feeling comfortable asking questions relating to your work.
Health and Safety in the workplace is explored both in the College and workplace to enable you to gain a detailed understanding of your responsibilities as an employee and how your employer has a duty to provide a safe working environment.
There are lots of maths-focused activities including wage slips and deductions, planning your route to work, calculating travel costs and much more.
The classroom knowledge gained is further developed as you attend your internship placement. Your placement is carefully chosen to support your aspirations for the future, you can expect to work around 15-20 hours each week in addition to your college day.
Your Legacy Project Job Coach will become someone you can trust, rely on to support your needs, and know when you need to take a break. Job Coaches are available on college days to support with assignment work. They will attend an induction at your internship placement with you and provide all the support, advice, and encouragement you need to complete your work to the best of your ability. Job Coaches also provide feedback to your tutor, parents and help celebrate your successes.
Further along in the year you will feel ready to look at the jobs available for your chosen career and practice your newly learnt interview skills with your Job Coach. Some of your college friends will be applying for jobs and apprenticeships too and we all help to support each other and celebrate successes.
The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to be open-minded to all advice given, don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you feel you need to and finally, be excited about the opportunities that this course brings.