A Telford College student has made such a success of his placement at a local café that they have offered him a permanent job.

Josh Bickford-Smith, from Newport, has completed his Supported Internship at Bowring Café in Wellington, and become a much-valued member of the team.

Transition and work experience co-ordinator Natasha Harland said: “During his time at Telford College, Josh demonstrated a keen desire to work, favouring the hospitality industry in particular.

“He’s a cheerful student who enjoys communicating with people, so he was a brilliant candidate for the placement at Bowring Café.

“With the continuous and structured support that Bowring Café have been able to offer Josh throughout his placement, he has thrived and progressed brilliantly.

“We were thrilled to hear that he had become a valued member of the team at Bowring Café and as a result they have decided to offer him paid employment. We are extremely proud of what Josh has achieved during his Supported Internship and wish him all the luck with his future employment.”

Natasha said Telford College was committed to preparing students for employment, including students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

“The overwhelming majority of young people with Special Education Needs (SEN) are capable of sustainable paid employment with the right preparation and support.

“So we have developed a structured programme of learning to prepare young people with SEN to become work ready. The final aspect of this process is a Supported Internship – a study programme specifically aimed at young people aged 16-24 who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

“This structured study programme is based primarily at an employer’s premises with a short amount of time completing non-workplace learning within college.”

Natasha said the aim of the internship was to prepare young people with SEN for paid employment by supporting them to develop the skills valued by employers, enabling them to demonstrate their value in the workplace, and developing their confidence in their own abilities to perform successfully at work.

“One of the key elements to a successful Supported Internship is to find an employer who can offer a supportive and nurturing approach which is what we found at the Bowring Café.

“Jo, the manager, explained that any new member of staff builds and develops their skills at Bowring Café in a gradual way – the tasks are split up into stations such as the washing up station, food prep station, and the hot drink station.

“All staff start on one station until they are confident with the process at which point, they are then moved to the next station. This approach was ideal for Josh as it broke down the tasks giving him the opportunity to overlearn the processes.”

Bowring Café manager Jo Davies said: “We have been supporting Josh for the last academic year with Telford College to help him gain knowledgeable work experience within the catering industry.

“We have offered him a permanent position due to his enthusiasm and commitment to the work and we are looking forward to having him as a member of the team

“Josh is extremely loved by all of our customers and we are excited to continue supporting him and to be continuing this journey together.

“When we offered him the position, he was so thankful and gave us all the biggest hug and even reduced us to tears! He has the biggest personality and makes us laugh every day.”

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