Companies across the West Midlands who have led efforts to create career opportunities for young people with disabilities have been praised by education leaders at a special awards ceremony.

The inaugural West Midlands Supported Internships Event, held on Monday at Shoosmiths in Birmingham, brought together colleges and some of the region’s biggest employers for a celebration of job creation for students with special education needs.

The event was arranged by Skills West Midlands & Warwickshire (SkillsWMW), a collaboration of further education (FE) training providers and colleges across the region working together to forge links between the regional business community and FE sector.

Delegates heard about innovative partnerships which were delivering both invaluable work experience placements and paid employment opportunities for young people who had successfully completed a supported internship programme.

Colleges nominated employer partners for recognition awards and Ricardo Mantovani, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas Personal Finance, delivered an inspirational keynote speech where he talked about his own struggle with profound dyslexia.

The award-winners were:

• GMI – nominated by South and City Birmingham College
• Savills – nominated by Dudley College
• Webbs – nominated by Heart of Worcestershire College
• HSBC – nominated by Queen Alexandra College
• Compton Verny – nominated by Solihull College
• Eastside Rooms – nominated by Halesowen College
• Black Country Living Museum – nominated by Halesowen College
• Low Hill Nursery – nominated by City of Wolverhampton College
• Whitbread – nominated by Hereward College

Suzie Branch-Haddow, Chair of SkillsWMW and Vice-Principal at BMet College and Paul Cook MBE, CEO and Principal of Hereward College in Coventry, hosted the event. Paul said: “Recent research by Mencap showed that little over a quarter of the 800,000-plus working age adults with a learning disability in the UK are in paid work, when 86 per cent of survey respondents who did not have a paid job said they would like one.

“The employers receiving awards at the West Midlands Supported Internships Event are bucking this trend, working closely with colleges with SEND learners to create the work experience placements and job opportunities they crave.

“And they are reaping the rewards for doing so; the feedback we receive from our employer partners is superb. At Hereward College, one of our key employers is Whitbread, whose Premier Inn chain has enjoyed a retention rate of more than 90 per cent from the recruitment of former supported interns.”

During the event, representatives of the award-winning firms talked about their pioneering projects.

They include HSBC, which has been working with Queen Alexandra College in Birmingham since 2022 to create work experience placements which enable SEND students to build valuable employability skills. The bank has offered a variety of branch placements and recently employed three interns in paid jobs.

Savills Merry Hill Centre has been instrumental in helping young people with SEND access the world of work. Retail Liaison Manager Christina Martin has offered a variety of work-based events ranging from tours of departments, work experience activities and mock-interview sessions. The joint initiative with Dudley College has led to interns being offered full-time employment, which they remain in with Savills today.

The awards were made by the team at Birmingham mental health charity Better Pathways, which supports people with learning disabilities into employment within a social enterprise structure.

Lal Tawney, Director at Whitecap Consulting, one of the event sponsors, said: “James Lee and I were honoured to represent Whitecap Consulting at the West Midlands supported internship event, which united educators, employers, and advocates to promote inclusive work experiences for individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

“In the current landscape, it’s clear that internships can be a powerful stepping stone for young people transitioning into employment. But for those with SEND, the road can often be more challenging. By highlighting these obstacles and showcasing success stories, today’s event made a strong case for why businesses and organisations should expand internship offerings.  

“Presenting awards at the event was particularly special, as the stories of resilience and determination were truly inspiring.”

Paul Cook added: “I’d like to thank all the colleges and their employer partners who took part, along with our event sponsors Whitecap Consulting, West Midlands Combined Authority, BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Shoosmiths, who kindly hosted the event. It has been a huge success and will only reinforce our efforts to mainstream disability employment across the UK economy.”