Our employment stories

The latest cohort of Project SEARCH interns completed their graduation following work placements at King’s Mill and Mansfield Community Hospitals recently.

DFN Project SEARCH is a one-year transition-to-work programme for young adults with a learning disability or autism spectrum conditions, or both. They work hard to challenge and change cultures, demonstrating how young people with a learning disability can enrich the workforce, bring incredible skills and talent, encourage greater diversity, and meet a real business need.

Interns on the programme participate in three job rotations to explore a variety of career paths within the NHS, including hospitality, business administration, domestic services, pathology, and more.

Bawithiran Raveendran was one of the graduates and he now has a job in the portering team:

I was very nervous at the start, but I have learnt so many things I didn't think I was capable of doing. I have learnt more knowledge to be able to help people and have become more confident with my social skills and talking to people.

And Nathan Florence completed the programme three years ago and is now mentoring other students. He said:

It was brilliant, it helped me to learn new skills to get a job and I got a job with Medirest on the windows. It helped me to become more confident.

Jackie Wix, Business Liaison for Project SEARCH, said:

It has been an honour to see the progress the interns make both in work and general life skills over the last two years, and to watch them progress to either work or volunteering. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the departments that have been involved and been so welcoming and supportive of the interns. It is heart-warming to know there are so many people within the hospital who have offered their help, time, and support to these young people. I am excited to see what this next year brings when our next cohort of interns join the Trust.