Hull and East Riding SEND Employment Forum is calling on organisations to offer work experience to young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
Sewell Group is a member of the forum and is one of the companies who have provided placements for young people. They have now launched a toolkit to help other employers to do the same.
Bethany Dennett, Sewell Group’s Community Investment Strategist, said: “We wanted to make sure we could offer meaningful experiences to young people with SEND, as the feedback we’d received from schools was that young people were facing barriers in getting placements as employers weren’t sure how best to support them. We worked closely with St Anne’s School, an East Yorkshire school for young people with additional needs, to create a programme for a group of students to join us in placements across the business. This helped us realise the potential for providing opportunities for students with SEND.”
Fifteen-year-old Reece Macdonald, who attended Holderness Academy, is one of the students who completed work experience at the Sewell Group. His mother, Nikki Stocks, said: “Work experience offers young people a taster of life in their chosen field, but the opportunities for children with additional needs are limited and rarely recognised their aspirations.
“Reece’s work experience was more rewarding than we could have imagined, and as a result we have seen, and continue to see a profound change in his confidence and his belief in his abilities, his aspirations, and his value in the world.
“We are so grateful that he was able to have such a rewarding opportunity and hopefully as a result of this shared experience and the Framework, other businesses will be encouraged to get involved and support young people with additional needs in their transition to life beyond school.”
The employment forum aims to improve employment outcomes for young people with SEND, aged 14 to 24, across East Riding and Hull.
Councillor Victoria Aitken, cabinet member for children, families and education said: “We know where young people have had the opportunity to complete work experience placements in local companies, that they have learnt so much and it has helped prepare them for future employment.
“We need more employers with inclusive workplaces, and I’d encourage organisations to follow the amazing examples set by companies such as Sewell Group and give our young people these important experiences.”
The SEND toolkit is available free of charge to any employers who are considering supporting SEND students with work experience placements: New toolkit helps employers develop work placements for SEND students – Sewell Group
Organisations who would like to find out more about providing work experience for young people with SEND can contact East Riding of Yorkshire Council by email at: post16@eastriding.gov.uk
