News

Creating Pathways from Work Experience to Employment

We are very proud of the partnership with have developed with Manchester College and their students over the past four years – this letter from them really made our day. It was too lovely to keep to ourselves!

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We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and the whole team for the continued support and opportunities they have provided to our SEND learners over many years.

Our partnership with Elizabeth Gaskell’s House has become a hugely valued part of our learners’ work experience. The opportunities provided have allowed young people to gain genuine experience in a real working environment, develop important workplace skills and, most importantly, build the confidence to believe in what they can achieve.

We are incredibly proud of the progression of the learners who have taken part in work experience at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. All four learners who have completed their work experience with the House have gone on to progress onto supported internships, with two of those learners subsequently progressing into paid employment at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

One learner has gone on to work in the hospital café, while another has secured a role as a receptionist in the MRI. Seeing learners progress from their first experiences of work at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House to gaining paid employment is a fantastic example of the positive impact that meaningful employer partnerships can have.

Our learners have the opportunity to work within the Tea Room at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, where they are able to develop a wide range of practical and transferable skills. During their placements, learners have developed skills including:

• Customer service and communicating with visitors
• Using the till and handling transactions
• Preparing and serving hot beverages
• Food hygiene and health and safety
• Following workplace procedures
• Working as part of a team
• Following instructions and completing tasks independently
• Timekeeping and maintaining a workplace routine
• Building confidence when interacting with members of the public
• Developing responsibility and professional workplace behaviours

These are not simply skills for a placement. They are skills that learners can take with them into future employment and everyday life.

For many of our young people, entering a busy workplace and interacting with customers can initially feel daunting. The support and encouragement they receive from the staff and other volunteers at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House helps learners to settle into the environment, build their confidence and gradually become more independent.

The Impact of the Partnership

The success of this partnership can be seen through the journeys of the learners who have taken part. Progressing from work experience to a supported internship and then into paid employment is a significant achievement. It demonstrates how the confidence and skills developed through meaningful work experience can help young people with SEND move closer to their employment goals.

The opportunities at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House allow learners to experience what it is genuinely like to be part of a workplace. They learn that their contribution is valued, that they can communicate with customers, that they can learn new tasks and that they have skills that employers need.

This can have a huge impact on a young person’s confidence and aspirations.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the whole team at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House for being so welcoming, supportive and understanding of our learners. Your patience, encouragement and willingness to provide meaningful opportunities has made a genuine difference to the young people who have worked with you.

This partnership means a great deal to The Manchester College, as it allows us to provide our learners with experiences that cannot be replicated in a classroom. It gives them the opportunity to learn through doing, develop their independence and understand the expectations of the workplace.

Most importantly, it helps our learners to see that employment is achievable.

The fact that all four learners have progressed onto supported internships, with two going on to secure paid employment at Manchester Royal Infirmary, is something we are incredibly proud of and is a testament to the value of the opportunities provided by Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.

Thank you to the entire Elizabeth Gaskell’s House team for welcoming our learners, supporting their development and giving them the opportunity to build confidence, develop valuable work skills and take important steps towards their futures. Your partnership has helped our young people develop not only work skills, but confidence, independence and skills for life and for that, we are truly grateful.

Ruqayyah Othman,
Job Coach,
The Manchester College