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Business News Wales
09-07-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Supported Internships at Amazon Open Career Paths for Young People with SEND
Two young people from Swansea have gained skills for future career success by taking part in a supported internship programme at the city's Amazon fulfilment centre. Supported internships are structured work-based study programmes for young people aged 16 to 24 with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or equivalent. The internships equip young people with the skills, experience and confidence they need to secure paid, meaningful employment. For young people with a learning disability and/or who are autistic, barriers to employment are particularly acute, with fewer than 5% of adults known to local authorities currently in paid employment across England, despite 86% wanting to work. Supported internships at Amazon combine classroom education and practical work experience in a number of roles, all within an Amazon fulfilment centre, where items are stored, packed and shipped. Many young people who have completed a supported internship at Amazon have gone on to secure permanent roles at the company. Josh Blackmore and Luke Jordan are among more than 80 people with SEND who will graduate from a supported internship across 17 Amazon sites this year. Josh and Luke were both at college studying Independent Living Skills before joining the supported internship programme at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Swansea. During their supported internships, both worked between customer returns and the company's order picking department. Their roles at Amazon were their first experiences of being part of a workplace team. 'You get your fair share of weird things to pick and return for Amazon customers,' said Josh. 'That's what makes it such a fun job. 'It's also easy to make mistakes when you're working in returns, as you have to use a lot of personal judgement. What I love about the team at Amazon is that they don't define people by their mistakes. 'I was scared that I'd be made to feel like a failure if I got something wrong, but that just wasn't the case. Even the best people at their job makes mistakes sometimes. Learning to not let my mistakes define me was an important lesson for me throughout my supported internship, and that was shown to me by the Amazon team.' Luke added: 'People are helpful at Amazon, and they've supported me as I've learned. That made doing the job a lot easier. I've loved doing new stuff.' Both Josh and Luke highlight learning how to fold clothes as one of the best skills they've learned during their time working in returns at Amazon. 'Being able to fold clothes properly helps me keep my room a bit tidier at home,' said Josh. 'That's a funny skill to talk about, but it's made a difference to my personal life.' 'However, my proudest achievement is that I've learned to travel independently thanks to going to Amazon for work every day. I have mobility issues, and I hadn't been going anywhere on my own before coming to work. 'Having to get to work was the push I needed towards independence. I can get the bus on my own now, and I'm even going as far as Port Talbot to meet my friends. That wouldn't have been possible before my supported internship, so I'm grateful for the freedom it's given me.' Luke notes how working at Amazon has improved his reading skills. Some of his work involves reading sentences on screens, and he was given tools to help him break down and understand what was being communicated. Luke has received a permanent job offer from Amazon to continue building his skills following his supported internship. Josh wants to use the skills he's learned through this first professional job to help him open doors for jobs in the television and film industry. He'll be taking part in another tailored employment support pathway to help get him there. 'I want to find the role that's right for me in a creative industry,' he said. Josh and Luke's success was celebrated at a graduation ceremony at the Swansea fulfilment centre, which was attended by their families and Amazon colleagues. Angela Smith, a Gower College and DFN Project Search tutor, added: 'Josh brought lots of fun to the supported internship this year. He is an articulate and generous young man who brings passion and dedication to everything he does in the workplace. 'He has also been a superb ambassador for the Amazon programme outside of Swansea, attending the first Youth Parliament Forum in Westminster, London on National Supported Internship Day back in March, where he courageously addressed the Minister for Disabilities and Social Security, Sir Stephen Tims, and held the room to advocate on behalf of people who have disabilities and want to work in the UK. 'Over the past year, Josh has worked hard to develop his emotional resilience, learning to accept that things do not always go to plan in work and to remember he is never alone – there is someone who can help fix an issue and offer support when needed. 'Luke has excelled in Amazon, not only learning new skills but in developing his resilience to work independently. His work ethic is now excellent, and he has learned how to align doing tasks to the best of his ability with the high standards of quality expected for Amazon's customers. 'Luke has worked hard to adapt to making some essential lifestyle changes, so he can be fit for work every day. Over the last couple of months, I think I have actually seen Luke grow taller as his confidence has blossomed, and his eyes have opened wider. He's chattier and quicker to smile, and where he used to walk a little tired and dragging his feet he now walks with a sense of purpose in and around the busy customer returns department. 'Without question Luke has become someone who will be a very valuable asset in any team.' The supported internship programme at Amazon was launched in 2021 in a bid to see more young people with SEND enter the workforce. It was expanded in 2023 through an ongoing partnership with national charity DFN Project Search. Since the launch of the programme, more than 160 young people have started a supported internship with Amazon, making the company one of the UK's largest providers of supported internships. Kirsty Matthews, CEO of DFN Project Search, said: 'We are incredibly proud of Josh and Luke and all those completing their supported internships this year. Each and every one of our interns graduating has shown that with the right support and opportunities, young people with a learning disability, who are autistic, or both, can thrive in the workplace. 'Our partnership with Amazon continues to open doors that might otherwise have been closed, proving that inclusive employment isn't just the right thing to do – it's good for business. Every success story like Josh and Luke's shows what is possible when we invest in the potential of our young people.'
Spectator
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Labour owes it to special needs children to reform SEND
They say that history repeats itself, but the Labour party won't be expecting it to happen quite so quickly. Last week, a 'Starmtrooper' rebellion forced the government to make a series of last-minute concessions and compromises on its welfare bill for fear of a humiliating defeat in the House of Commons. Now, Labour is facing a similar battle, but this time over special educational needs (SEND) provision. MPs are criticising ministers' refusals to rule out cuts as part of its SEND overhaul, the details of which will be unveiled in the autumn. As one Labour MP warned, 'if they thought taking money away from disabled adults was bad, watch what happens when they try the same with disabled kids.' These children risk becoming trapped in a cycle of dependency As with the welfare system, special education needs provision has become an unmanageable behemoth. Around 1.67 million pupils in England have SEND – 18.4 percent of the school population, and a 31 per cent increase since 2016. Around 576,000 children also have an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan): a legally binding document, replacing the old system of 'statements', which entitles students to specialist support, paid for by local authorities. EHCPs are designed for students with the most severe needs, but the last decade has seen an astronomic rise in applicants – there are now 140 per cent more EHCPs than there were in 2015, with the total SEND budget costing more than £12 billion a year. It's easy to see why parents are nervous that the government is considering scrapping EHCPs as part of its reforms: EHCPs provide some statutory certainty in a system that is overstretched and underfunded. Yet the problem is the same one that lies at the heart of so many of our public services: society feels morally obliged to spend on the care, protection and education of those most in need, but we don't actually have the money to do so. Even when we do increase spending, the outcomes are not always positive: a report from the National Audit Office found that, despite the increase in funding, the system is 'still not delivering better outcomes for children and young people'. Governments then promise reforms – which rarely mean anything other than spending less money – but MPs clearly do not have the stomach for reality. We saw this with PIP: we spend over £320 billion on welfare, and yet the government could not even successfully shave off £5 billion from the bill. A similar retreat on SEND reform seems inevitable. As unsustainable as the current system is, preserving the status quo seems more politically palatable than daring to change eligibility criteria. Yet the government has to find its backbone here. The current system is bankrupting councils: in 2023-4, Kent spent £17 million on assessing and delivering EHCPs, and an eye-watering £70 million transporting children to and from school or medical appointments. The County Councils Network (CCN) projects that the cost of 'free' transport will reach £3.6 billion a year by 2030. If the financial arguments won't persuade MPs to follow through here, then perhaps the emotional ones will. To put it simply, we need change because the families who most critically need support are not receiving it. Diagnostic inflation means skyrocketing waiting lists and increased competition for limited resources: for example, almost a quarter of families with disabled children now have to wait over a year to see social services. The numerous stories of people abusing the system – for example, an 8-year-old with 'behavioural difficulties' in Gainsborough who was given daily private cars to and from school despite no formal assessment or diagnosis – must be sickening to hear if you are the parent of a severely disabled child who cannot access vital support. Our obsession with neurodivergency has backfired on those most in need; I often wonder what parents of severely autistic children, who may never communicate, socialise, or perform basic tasks independently, think of the endless carousel of celebrities who pay for an autism diagnosis to 'understand themselves better'. The system doesn't work now, but it will be even worse in future. The Department for Work and Pensions predicts that the number of children entitled to disability benefits will rise by a third by 2030 – one of the fastest-growing benefits categories. Only 4 per cent of EHCPs are currently going to children with severe learning disabilities associated with physical incapacity; the vast majority of plans go to children on the autistic spectrum, with the third most common reason being social, emotional and mental health (given to over 130,000 children last year). These children risk becoming trapped in a cycle of dependency: told that they cannot function independently at school, told that they need support but not actually given it, told that they are too mentally unwell to hold down a job. For once, change needs to be non-negotiable.
Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Thousands of youngsters with SEND to get more support in finding work experience
Ministers are driving ahead with efforts to help more youngsters get valuable skills for work amid a shocking one in eight young people not in employment, education or training Thousands of young people with special educational needs will get more support in securing work experience after a £12million funding boost. Some 4,500 people with SEND will get employment experience after the Department for Education today extended the 'supported internships' programme. As part of efforts to help more youngsters get valuable skills for work, 16-24 year olds with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) will be able to secure a work placement which is supported by a job coach. The job coach provides tailored in-work support to the intern, including checking their understanding of tasks and providing training. They also work with the employer to help them understand the intern's needs and how to approach them. Work experience will include placements in hospitals, supermarkets, banks and more. Minister for School Standards Catherine McKinnell told The Mirror: 'Devastatingly, according to Impetus, young people with SEND are 80% more likely to not be in employment, education or training. "For thousands of young people, this means losing out on opportunities to get on in life, as well as missing out on a sense of community and independence. We're committed to turning this around.' The £12m funding injection for this year alone is far more than £18m previously invested in the programme over the past three years. Half of the funding - £6m - will go towards piloting supported internships in at least 12 local authorities with young people who don't have an EHCP, but who have learning difficulties or disabilities and are furthest from the labour market. It is double the £3m that was committed for the first two years of the pilot. An EHCP is for children and young people aged up to 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. The work experience announcement comes after ministers earlier this week set out plans to train more brickies, carpenters and healthcare support workers by creating 120,000 new career-supporting opportunities. Under the plans, the apprenticeship budget for 2025-26 has for the first time been lifted to more than £3billion - up from last year's £2.73billion. The efforts are part of a drive to get more young people into a job amid a shocking one in eight young people not in employment, education or training. Elsewhere ministers have also today pledged £9.5m in funding for a neurodiversity inclusion programme in schools. The scheme involves training teachers to identify and better meet children's needs. Around 300,000 children, including those with conditions such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, will benefit from the programme. Ms McKinnell added: 'The number of young people struggling to secure work opportunities is a clear symptom of a SEND system that isn't supporting children early in life to build the skills they need. 'That's why we're also taking action to make sure that support is there from the very earliest years, so that those who are struggling with everything from speech and language to autism and ADHD, are able to achieve and thrive.'
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Parents finally given more free childcare options - find out how to apply
Childcare arrangements are often cited as the main challenge parents face when wanting to return to work - but more has been done to help busy mothers and fathers More eligible working parents in England can now apply for government funded childcare. Parents often struggle to return to work due to the availability - or cost - of quality childcare. However, the government has this week increased its funded childcare scheme and so mothers and fathers across England can now explore new opportunities to get back to work or do more hours in their profession. The scheme, the Department for Education says, also gives young children the chance to build confidence, learn social skills, and prepare for school. The Mirror here outlines what the changes mean for you and how you can apply for a space at nursery, or a childminder setting for your little one. From September, parents working at least 16 hours a week may be eligible for 30 hours of funded childcare, for their children aged at least nine months on or before August 31. Places are funded from the term after your child turns nine months old until they start reception. There is also a 15-hour scheme for families on certain benefits. The Department for Education says if you are not eligible for 30 hours of funded childcare, your child may be eligible for 15 hours instead. All parents of children aged three to four in England can access a universal offer of 15 hours of government funded early education from the term after their child turns three. It now doesn't matter how much you earn or how many hours you work. Parents of two-year-olds can also access 15 hours a week of funded early education and childcare if they receive additional forms of support. This includes support like being on Universal Credit and earning less than £15,400 a year, or if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, or has been looked after by a local authority. Places are funded from the term after a child turns two. For all these schemes, the childcare provider must be approved – so informal providers such as grandparents don't count. The funding covers up to 15 or 30 hours of early education and childcare a week for 38 weeks a year. You may be able to spread this funding over more than 38 weeks a year if you take fewer hours over more weeks. You should check with your childcare provider to find out if this is something they offer. Some providers may ask you to pay for extra costs, like meals, nappies or trips. Eligibility depends on whether you're working, your income, your child's age and circumstances and your immigration status. Full details about eligibility requirements can be found here. There are different early education and childcare support schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. To apply for 30 hours government funded childcare, you should sign into your account here. You can apply from when your child is 23 weeks old. When you can get your hours from will depend on the date your child turns 9 months old. If you want to get 30 hours from September 2025, then you will need to apply by 31 August. You should speak to your provider to confirm you can use your full 30 hours from September. You will need your Government Gateway user ID to login.
