DFN Project SEARCH is a one-year transition to work programme for young adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and can help kickstart a young person’s career or put them on the path to employment in the community.
Six individuals who have enjoyed placements while building their skills at the hospital Trust were given certificates of achievements and praise from representatives of the various teams they have worked alongside, including the portering team at Mansfield Community Hospital, King’s Mill Hospital’s linen room and domestics team, the marketing and communications team, pathology, Medirest stores and general portering.
Special awards were also given out at the graduation event, including most improved student, most resilient person and employee of the year which was awarded to Jennifer Powell.
The college’s internship team, together with representatives from Medirest, Skanska and the hospital trust, spoke about the incredible journeys undertaken by the interns during their time in the various departments at the hospital. This is the fourth year that the college’s supported internship team has worked with the hospital Trust.
During each placement, students are supported by job coaches and business mentors, an instructor and their wider families as they learn new skills in their departments, while also learning to travel independently to work and build their self-confidence.
Louise Dakin, who is the college’s employability and SEND manager, said: “We have had some fantastic outcomes on programme this year with job offers to interns in the linen department, domestics, portering and medical records and our six students have worked over 3,400 hours in total on their placements.
“It’s always lovely to bring the partnership, parents, carers and interns together to celebrate and recognise key achievement’s our interns.
“We heard some powerful speeches from both parents and interns on how the programme impacts them and their families as they prepare for life after education.”
The Trust’s audit officer and business liaison for Project SEARCH Jacqueline Wix said: “I’ve been involved in the program since we started and have just seen our third year of interns leave the programme with the majority staying within the hospital in employment.
“I love to see the interns from previous years doing their jobs around the hospital and I’ve learnt so much from being involved. We are constantly looking for new areas to move into to give the interns the best chance to match their skills and interests to the best placement for them.”
Nineteen-year-old Adam Love was one of the interns who celebrated a year on the programme working in both the portering team at Mansfield Community Hospital and the medical records team at King’s Mill Hospital. He is also the first intern to be employed by the Trust.
He said: “I really enjoyed my time in both of these roles. I had to use a lot of skills including confidentiality, patience, good timekeeping and teamwork. I worked at the community hospital for four months before coming over to the medical records team.
“It’s quite a responsible role retrieving patient records and delivering them to the right people and I am so proud that I’ve now got a full-time job in this team. It’s amazing because I will have my own income which will give me the confidence to adapt to adult life and be able to socialise more.
“I’m incredibly grateful to my mentors as they’ve been so supportive and taught me all I need to know in medical records, and I’ve worked really well with them under their guidance. They really couldn’t have been more helpful.”