x

Mayor Darren Byford, Lauren Foster, DFN Project SEARCH Supported Internship Lecturer, Len Richards, Chief Executive, Ewan McGinnies, DFN Project SEARCH graduate, Jimmy Stainsby, DFN Project SEARCH graduate, John Leach, DFN Project SEARCH graduate, Mel Papp, DFN Project SEARCH Employability Coach, Angie Hirst, DFN Project SEARCH Employability Coach, Courtney Purdy, DFN Project SEARCH graduate, Debbie Moss, Head of Inclusion, Helen Johnson, Follow-On Job Coach, Brain Chiyesu, Assistant Director of Equality Diversity & Inclusion.

A Yorkshire health trust is celebrating graduates who have completed their one-year transition to work programme.

The pre-employment programme by the the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and DFN Project SEARCH waved goodbye to six interns at a graduation event on Friday, July 5.

DFN Project SEARCH is for young adults aged 18 to 25 who have a learning disability or autism spectrum condition, or both, and helps them gain the skills they need to secure paid employment.

After a year-long internship, the 2023/24 cohort of students were presented with a certificate of completion for the work they did as part of the employment scheme at the Trust, which covers Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury District Hospitals. This involved adapting to new challenges, learning various professions and gaining essential people skills needed for the working world.

Out of six graduates, four have secured permanent employment since completing the internship. For two graduates, this includes departments within the Trust such as housekeeping and pathology.

Courtney Purdy, Project SEARCH graduate, said: "Not many jobs understand people with disabilities, and their needs. The programme is a great experience for people who have disabilities to learn new skills. It has helped me develop and become more independent. I’ve learnt how to work in a hospital environment, and I’ve now been offered a job as a ward housekeeper.”