Internship Programme Tutor

Thank you for your interest in the tutor role at our Project Search supported internship programme, working across our Whipps Cross and St Bartholomew hospital sites.

Project SEARCH is our internship programme that opens up a world of paid employment for young people with special needs and disabilities (SEND). The programme helps young people with special needs and disabilities gain employability knowledge and skills within a supportive environment and experiences work experiences. The programme is underpinned by the international and evidence based framework provided by DfN Project Search dfnprojectsearch.org

As part of the internships, young people aged 17+ undertake three work placements at the hospitals in a range of clinical and non-clinical departments as porters, receptionists and assistants. They also undertake an ASDAN qualification, achieving this on completion of their internship. Throughout the year-long programme, interns receive intensive, personalised learning support from exceptional mentors and job coaches who ensure they feel secure and comfortable every step of the way. Support might include helping interns travel independently to work, giving them the confidence to speak to new people or identifying ways to work through a list of tasks. This support enables our interns to excel in their placements and become highly-valued team members making a meaningful contribution to their department.

With an employment success rate of over 70%, and a proven track record since 2014 of helping young people with SEND secure fulfilling and meaningful jobs, we are proud that our interns go on to gain full-time, paid employment which they have secured through competitive application processes. Our success rates are well above the current national employment figure for people with SEND in paid employment. The impact of Project SEARCH cannot be underestimated; not only does it provide worthwhile employment, it also increases interns’ confidence and self-belief and, most importantly, gives them a sense of purpose in life.

As a part of Learning in Harmony, staff at our supported internship programmes have access to a wide range of support. Importantly, all staff benefit from high-quality continuous professional development opportunities. Likewise, there are a number of pathways for colleagues to develop their careers and we will always do what we can to help them progress their careers within our Trust.

We aim to recruit people who demonstrate that they share our values, are highly motivated to pursue professional excellence and are committed to providing the highest standards for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. 

We hope you are excited about this opportunity to join our Project Search supported internship programme and Learning in Harmony Trust.

Purpose:

The Internship Programme Tutor will be responsible for providing leadership to the onsite Project SEARCH programmes and have responsibility for managing and co-ordinating the successful delivery of the daily ASDAN Employability programme for young adults at Whipps Cross Hospital and St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

The Tutor will be expected to work in collaboration with Families, Carers and Advocates. Working alongside all involved in the Project SEARCH team including staff from the host business, supported employment provider, the College and all the Project SEARCH stakeholders.

Job Context:

• To effectively plan and deliver the ASDAN employability curriculum to certification level, embedding Maths and English across both Whipps Cross and St Bartholomew’s Hospital sites.
• Deliver the DFN Project SEARCH Core Fidelity Model and Critical Success Factors.
• Complete Tutor/ job coach training and all staff development training.
• Work with the host businesses and onsite teams to plan and co-ordinate Project SEARCH events such as induction, family curriculums, special projects and graduation.
• Safeguarding Lead for both Hospitals.
• A role model for the Trust’s Visions and Values.

Responsibilities:

• Support recruitment of new interns for the programme
• Marketing to local schools, families, colleges, council and agencies including information sessions and delivering presentations.
• Attend college career evenings.
• Organising and planning applicants interviews and skills assessments involving all the stakeholders.
• Participating on the selection committee following the Project SEARCH recruitment rubric. 
• All Administration associated with applicants including the EHCP and working with different Councils to complete the Consultations.
• Recruitment is an ongoing commitment to ensure full cohorts of 12 interns at both Whipps Cross and St Bartholomew sites.
• Assisting new applicants with Barts Health HR protocols to get Enhanced DBS checks and Occupational Health appointments.
• Ensuring the interns learning experiences support the development of the individual in line with the EHCP, identifying strengths, interests and abilities related to skill acquisition, job development and employment.
• Robust measures to ensure Interns Wellbeing and safety is at the heart of everything we do. This is monitored and supported on a daily basis using pro-active measures to keep all the interns safe at all times.
• Co-ordinate and organise a three-week host business induction and ensure interns understanding and learning of induction requirements.
• Meet daily with job coaches to discuss daily plan and interns progress and any concerns.
• Plan and provide daily classroom instruction in ASDAN employability qualification for certification level.
• Plan and organise interns 6 Employment planning meeting presentations with families, colleges, host business managers and mentors across both sites.
• Meet monthly with College Co-Ordinator for ASDAN internal verification and progress, updates which are then reported to the WAT ASDAN Co-Ordinator.
• Attend and report at monthly Steering Group meetings and two weekly Operational meetings.
• Implementing appropriate assessment, objective setting, recording, reporting and evaluation of employment.
• Work with business liaison and department managers to develop internship rotations, plans for necessary job modifications in partnership with Job Coach/es.
• Work alongside the job coach/es to perform job coach duties as and when necessary.
• Participates in planning and implementing Project SEARCH Advisory Committee meetings on a quarterly basis for operational and strategic planning and continuous improvement.
• Participate in Business Advisory Councils to increase networking and career opportunities (industry focused and made up of community employers). 
• Assist with job development, especially for internal jobs within the host business.
• Work with relevant outside supported employment agencies to secure competitive employment in the community.
• Train interns in interview process for employment in partnership with job coach/es to achieve over 75% job outcomes.
• Support interns to develop a CV and portfolio that documents each rotation, skills acquired, evaluations, letters of recommendations, etc.
• Attend and give feedback at annual reviews.
• Work with Job Centre Plus to provide a seamless system of support before, during and at the end of the Project SEARCH programme using a person-centered approach to meet individual needs.
• Complete necessary evaluations, reports and other documentation, including data for DFN Project SEARCH portal.