ECL’s first supported internship scheme is a triumph
ECL’s South Essex Supported Internship Job Coaches were bursting with pride recently as they attended the graduation ceremony of their first cohort of students.
The ECL job coaches and USP College tutors working on the DFN Project SEARCH Amazon supported internship programme were filled with emotion as they watched the students they had supported over the last nine months receive their graduation certificates, smartly dressed in their black and gold caps and gowns.
Amazon hosted a wonderful ceremony and lunch at its Tilbury fulfilment centre on Wednesday 25 June 2025, making it really special for the students and their families.
The supported internship programme’s first year has been a real success story, achieving a 90% success rate. With five of the six students being offered employment by Amazon.
The graduates and their families were told the good news after their graduation celebrations and began their employment with the company just two weeks after completing their internship.
We are so proud of the students. They have all grown in so many ways throughout the internship, it’s wonderful to see how far they have come. Their confidence has soared, they’ve gained valuable work and life skills and have formed new friendships.
The fact that 90% of the interns have been employed by Amazon is the outcome we had hoped for at the start of this journey. It demonstrates that supported internships can transform the lives of young people with special educational needs by providing them the right environment to flourish and achieve their goals in the workplace and in their personal lives.
-Andrea Smith, Head of Inclusive Employment and Day Opportunities, ECL
The supported internship programme is a collaboration with ECL, USP College and Amazon as part of the DFN Project SEARCH programme which delivers a transition-to-work education programme for young people with a current Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) between the ages of 18 to 24.
The programme is developed in partnership between a host business, education provider, and supported employment provider. It combines real work experience with training in employability and independent living skills delivered in a business setting to help young adults make successful transitions from education to employment.
Amazon’s site in Tilbury hosted six interns who were supported by ECL job coaches, USP College tutors and Amazon professional mentors throughout the academic year. The interns combined classroom-based vocational training and reflection and gained valuable experience of the workplace.
Following the success of the first year, ECL is delighted to announce that Amazon will be hosting a second cohort of interns for the 20205/2026 academic year. The programme will begin towards the end of September early October. If you would like to know more about the supported internship programme contact julie.clark@uspcollege.ac.uk or visit www.dfnprojectsearch.org/
ECL’s Inclusive Employment service supports adults with learning disabilities and/or autism to achieve their ambitions of paid employment, as well as working to change employers’ attitudes towards inclusive recruitment.
For more information about ECL Inclusive Employment visit www.ecl.org/inclusive-employment
