Learn about our Thrive scheme
Currently, fewer than five per cent of young people with learning problems go on to secure paid employment once their education finishes, compared to 80 per cent of their peers. Our well- established Thrive scheme helps young learners with special educational needs train for industry roles, through work experience. One such student turned hospitality expert is Mary, a Receptionist at Premier Inn. Here’s her story:
Breaking barriers, crafting careers
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Thrive
Our Thrive programme is an expansion of our long-standing partnerships with Derwen and Hereward College, supporting young people with special educational needs in their journey to employment through internships. Supported internships are an important step to help many students with special educational needs become ready for work. For some young people with SEN, our partnerships have helped them move towards employment through supported internships – and we are proud to employ many of them in permanent roles. For others, it has developed their confidence and they have gained skills for life; practical for whatever their bright futures hold outside of hospitality. Students will initially be based within our housekeeping team supported on site by the Premier Inn team, led by a Hotel Manager, alongside a job coach (appointed by the college). On moving into employment, we then have a range of apprenticeships available to help individuals grow and develop into other roles.
Banardo’s
Working in partnership with Barnardo’s we deliver a programme to support care-experienced young people into employment. Our work is not only aimed at helping them professionally but personally too. The young people who join our programmes are supported to build their confidence, employability and social skills, they also get to spend a week in one of our hotels or restaurants on work experience with the goal to secure permanent employment with us at the end of the 8-week programme. We are proud to employ many care- experienced young people and our aspiration is to be recruiting over 500 care-experienced young people each year, through a combination of our own recruitment practices, and via our partnership with Barnardo’s.
Work Experience
We are aware of the significant challenges faced by young people today both in accessing employers and having the social skills and confidence to begin employment. We want to do our bit to help young people overcome these and experience what it’s like to be in employment. Working in partnership with local schools, colleges and universities across the country our structured one or two week modular work experience programme is open for all young people nationwide and can be tailored to focus on what they are most interested in. With the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in a hotel or restaurant and see first-hand the exciting roles available along with how they can transition into employment, apprenticeships and employment.
Our Thrive programme is an expansion of our long-standing partnerships with Derwen and Hereward College, supporting young people with special educational needs in their journey to employment through internships. Supported internships are an important step to help many students with special educational needs become ready for work. For some young people with SEN, our partnerships have helped them move towards employment through supported internships – and we are proud to employ many of them in permanent roles. For others, it has developed their confidence and they have gained skills for life; practical for whatever their bright futures hold outside of hospitality. Students will initially be based within our housekeeping team supported on site by the Premier Inn team, led by a Hotel Manager, alongside a job coach (appointed by the college). On moving into employment, we then have a range of apprenticeships available to help individuals grow and develop into other roles.
Working in partnership with Barnardo’s we deliver a programme to support care-experienced young people into employment. Our work is not only aimed at helping them professionally but personally too. The young people who join our programmes are supported to build their confidence, employability and social skills, they also get to spend a week in one of our hotels or restaurants on work experience with the goal to secure permanent employment with us at the end of the 8-week programme. We are proud to employ many care- experienced young people and our aspiration is to be recruiting over 500 care-experienced young people each year, through a combination of our own recruitment practices, and via our partnership with Barnardo’s.
We are aware of the significant challenges faced by young people today both in accessing employers and having the social skills and confidence to begin employment. We want to do our bit to help young people overcome these and experience what it’s like to be in employment. Working in partnership with local schools, colleges and universities across the country our structured one or two week modular work experience programme is open for all young people nationwide and can be tailored to focus on what they are most interested in. With the opportunity to experience what it’s like to work in a hotel or restaurant and see first-hand the exciting roles available along with how they can transition into employment, apprenticeships and employment.
Work experience
We know getting that first step onto the work ladder’s hard. So we offer work experience with a purpose to anyone who needs it. Maura, Team Member at one of our Hub hotels said: “I was looking for a job in the summer before coming here and I couldn’t find anything. My school actually sent me to work here for 4 days’ work experience and I worked across reception, the restaurant and housekeeping. Everyone was so nice to me, the team were helpful and my manager really supportive. I wanted a job here after my work experience because I was made so comfortable. Thankfully there was a position as a Team Member at the end of it and I’m glad I joined. I’m more confident now, much less shy.” Watch Maura’s story here:
How we work with Whitbread
Warren | Team Member
“I was told about the Whitbread programme and that led to work experience here and there was a job at the end. I’d never really stayed in a hotel before, so it was all new. I managed to get real experience of the work that goes on here – in the restaurant, in the maintenance team, in housekeeping as well.
“My manager’s lovely, she’s pointed me in the right direction, there’s been help given whenever I’ve needed it. Now there’s talk of helping with training, an apprenticeship – any opportunity I’ll take it. The team are great, friendly and approachable. I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Josh | Support Worker
“We help young people, aged 18-29, back into work. Maybe the education system didn’t work for them, due to things outside of their control, but they’re looking to return. In work you need to be confident to go into work and know what’s expected of you. That’s not always a given for someone who has been in the care system and hasn’t had that parental support.
Schemes like this make a real difference, 100%. Everyone deserves that first chance in a job but they’ll often come up against the barrier of ‘How can I get the experience if I can’t get a job?’. That’s why the work experience week’s great – at least they’ve had that for their cv that they can go on and take elsewhere. But if they are successful it opens up a world of independence and a future.”
Helping others to Thrive
If you are a college with learners with SEND, a specialist college or local authority and would like to explore a potential partnership, please complete the following form:
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