Supported internships

Supported internships can help you to gain employability skills and hands-on experience in a work environment.

They help to prepare you for the transition from education into employment.

There's a list of local supported internship programmes at the end of this page, and you can contact us for more information.

Eligibility criteria

To apply for a supported internship, you must:

• be aged 16-24 – for some courses there is a minimum age of 18

• have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan)

• be travel trained or willing to take part in travel training

• want to get into paid employment by the end of the programme

• behave and dress in a professional manner

What to expect

Supported internships usually last one academic year (starting in September).

Work placements

You'll take part in different work placements to build your skills and explore potential career paths.

Supported internship programmes work with different organisations to provide the work placements.

Before beginning a supported internship, you will be invited to an assessment day. This is nothing to be scared about; it is to get to know more about how you learn, your interests and aspirations. This will help the team to match your work placements based on what you are interested in.

You can see the organisations each programme works with in the list below.

Study programme

Alongside your work placements, you'll learn employability and independent living skills.

This part of the programme is provided by an education partner, usually a local college, to provide tutoring.

Support

A job coach will offer you personalised support.

They will help you to decide what you want to achieve through your supported internship (goals). These goals will be around things like employment, independent living, social wellbeing, and improving your health.

Easy read information

You can find an easy read guide to supported internships on the NDTI website.

What interns say

Watch some of the interns from Preston College tell you about their experiences through supported internships at Lancashire County Council and Places for People:

There is extra support available to help you get into work if you're disabled, have a long-term condition or mental health problems.

You can apply for an Access to Work grant from the government to cover the costs of practical support during your supported internship. Your job coach and tutor will help you apply for this.

Pre-supported internship programmes

If you're not ready for a supported internship, there are also pre-supported internship programmes available in some areas.

These can help you find out what a supported internship will be like and teach you important life skills.

Contact

If you have any questions about supported internships in Lancashire email sendemploymentforum@lancashire.gov.uk.

To contact local supported internship providers, see the contact details below: