An internship is another name for a work placement or work experience with an employer.
Some interns are employed by a company and receive regular pay; other interns are volunteers gaining valuable work experience as a stepping stone to the job they want.
If you are doing an internship for less than one year through a further education college, you are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage.
If you are doing your internship through a charity, voluntary organisation, fund-raising body or statutory body as a volunteer, you will not be paid except for limited benefits, for example travel or lunch expenses.
Supported internships
If you are 16-24-years-old, have an education, health and care (EHC) plan and want to work, a supported internship will provide you with the extra support you need to achieve your goal.
A supported internship is a one-year study programme that will help you to get the skills and experience you need to succeed.
On a supported internship, you will spend at least six months in an unpaid work placement with an employer. You will also have a personal study programme. This gives you the chance to gain useful qualifications, which could include English and maths.
A supported internship is very similar to a traineeship or apprenticeship. The main difference is that you will be offered a higher level of support than a trainee or apprentice, and this will include work place support through a job coach.
There are no entry or completion requirements for supported internships. The aim is simply to prepare you for paid employment by:
- Supporting you to develop the skills valued by employers
- Enabling you to show what you can do in the workplace
- Developing your confidence in your own ability to perform successfully at work
The ideal outcome is for you to be offered a paid job from your host employer or another employer.
Other outcomes you may also achieve are:
- Work experience to add to your CV
- Changing the perception of employers about people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
- Changing the perception of your family/friends by showing that you can work
- Improving your English and maths skills to prepare you for work and independent living
- Becoming an independent traveller
Project Search supported internship
In Norfolk, two of our local colleges offer the Project Search study programme. This is a type of supported internship.
The programme is delivered in partnership with Serco, Norse and our local hospitals:
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn
- James Paget University Hospital, Great Yarmouth
Find out more about the supported internship opportunities: