The University of Aberdeen has joined a nationwide campaign to highlight the importance of helping young people with a learning disability or autism to secure employment.
King’s College Chapel was illuminated with orange lighting to mark National Supported Internship Day on Thursday, 27th March. Supported Internships are structured work-based study programmes for those aged 16 to 24 with Additional Support Needs (ASN).
Despite having the skill and ambition to work, young people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum conditions, remain one of the most underrepresented groups in the UK workforce.
Launched in 2023 by DFN Project SEARCH, National Supported Internship Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of Supported Internships and the crucial role young people with learning disabilities, or autistic spectrum conditions, play in the workforce, as well as the benefits of inclusive employment practices.
DFN Project SEARCH University of Aberdeen was the first University site for such a programme in the UK and is now one of over 70 sites throughout the UK and Europe which have supported more than 1,300 young people into work.
It combines real-life work experience, training in employability, and independent-living skills for young people in the north-east of Scotland with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum conditions who want to go on to find paid employment.
Research shows Supported Internships dramatically improve employment prospects, with recent DFN Project SEARCH data showing Scotland is achieving some of the highest employment rates across the UK – and the world.
In Scotland, 75% of interns who graduated from a DFN Project SEARCH programme moved into paid employment in 2023, thanks to the skills, experience and confidence they gained.
Professor George Boyne, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, said: "We are delighted to participate in National Supported Internship Day by lighting King's College Chapel in orange. DFN Project SEARCH is very important to us and underscores our Aberdeen 2040 commitment to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.
“Supported Internships play a crucial role in empowering individuals with disabilities to gain valuable work experience and transition into meaningful employment. The University is committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity within its community and beyond, and we are proud to support this very special initiative."
Buildings around the UK have been illuminated orange today and is just one of a series of events taking place across the UK this week to highlight the importance of Supported Internships.
DFN Project SEARCH is a national charity which supports young people, aged 16 to 24, with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum conditions to make a positive transition from education into permanent full-time employment.
The charity offers a one-year evidence-based Supported Internship programme that takes place entirely in the workplace. The goal for each young person is a transition to meaningful paid employment.