The success of our Project SEARCH interns has been recognised at a special celebration event.
This initiative is designed to help young people with learning disabilities to gain real experience of working in the NHS at our hospitals in Grimsby and, for the first time this year, Scunthorpe too.
Working in partnership with Linkage Community Trust, Grimsby, and Trent View College, Scunthorpe, each of the 10 interns is spending a year working with us, rotating between placements with a number of different teams and functions including catering, facilities, maintenance, administration, portering, and security.
Kaycee, Jake, Keenan, Keane, Kieran, Jake, Ryan, Matthew, and Lainey attended a celebration event at Scunthorpe General Hospital with their parents. They were able to share their experiences so far, and learn more about what’s to come.
Matthew Holder, 17 from Scunthorpe, said: “My role has been cleaning around the hospital. It’s been really different seeing what happens in the hospital and I’ve found it interesting. I’m going to be working in the kitchens next.”
Keane Gower, 18 from Barton, said: “I have been working in the library at Scunthorpe. It’s been great learning new skills and I’m looking forward to my next rotation.”
Keane’s mum, Jo Tomkys, said: “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. The skills they are learning will come in really useful for employment opportunities in the future.”
Kaycee Fisher, 19 from Grimsby, said: “In my first rotation, I’ve been doing maintenance. It’s been really good, as I’ve been able to improve my communication skills.”
Keenan Rands, 21, from Cleethorpes, said: “I have been working in the library doing various administrative tasks. I was very nervous when I first started but everyone has been really friendly.”
Rachel Rushmer, Librarian at Grimsby, said: “It’s been really good to have a fresh pair of eyes, and Keenan has come up with some great ideas which we’re going to use going forward.”
Christine Ramsden, Head of Learning – South at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “It was great to welcome everyone to this event to celebrate everything our interns have done so far. They take part in rotations, which means they get to experience different areas of the hospital.
“We are giving them valuable experience, so they are ready for the world of work after finishing their studies.”
Ruth Whiffen, Manager of Employability at Linkage College, said: “The NHS is such a big employer, so it’s great to be able to offer internships for our students. This is our fourth year doing this and it’s been a really successful partnership.”
Hazel Abbott, Assistant Principal at Trent View College, said: “This is the first year we’ve been involved with supported internships at Scunthorpe hospital’. The support we’ve had from the NHS and Project SEARCH has been fantastic. It will be great to follow their journey for the next year. It’s been really nice to meet all the Grimsby interns too.”
Emily Russell, Project SEARCH Facilitator/Tutor, said: “It’s been really good to be able to celebrate the work our interns have done so far. It’s also been great to be able to invite managers and parents to hear this.”
Hayley Naylor, Project SEARCH Tutor, said: “I’m delighted with the effort the interns have made throughout the first few weeks. Seeing them develop in confidence within their rotations has already made such a difference for their futures.”