BCP Council

Thursday 19 May 2022  

BCP Council is delighted to announce that from September 2022 supported interns will be hosted within council departments. The BCP Council supported internship programme is being delivered in collaboration with DFN Project Search, (an internationally recognised internship programme), Discovery Job Coach Agency and South West Regional Assessment Centre (SWRAC). This internship opportunity is aimed at young people aged 19 and over who have an education and health care plan (EHCP) and are on the edge of being able to enter the world of work. As part of the application process the 0 to 25 education team were delighted to welcome 10 young people to the BCP Council supported internship selection day on Thursday 19 May.

The day was hosted at the Ted Webster Family Centre and allowed young people the opportunity to share their employment aspirations. During the day the applicants took part in a range of skill assessment tasks and had a short formal interview. The young people spoke passionately about being the first cohort of BCP Council supported interns and thesupported internship team are excited to be working with young people that have so much to offer as part of the BCP Council workforce.

Parents / carers were also invited to the event and had the chance to speak to colleagues from the Department for Work and Pensions – so that advice and support could be offered around ‘Better off Calculations’. The day was supported by Parent Carers Together who have driven forward to the commissioning of this work and who are delighted to see their advocacy coming to fruition. Maureen Rolfe from Parent Carers Together enjoyed having the opportunity to support parents that had attended the day.

Jess Gibbons, Chief Operating Officer and BCP Council’s supported internship corporate champion said, “I am delighted to champion this programme and the great opportunity it provides to both these young people and us as an organisation, we will all learn and grow as part of it.” For more information on the BCP Council supported internship programme please email supportedinternships@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.