Graduation Day for University of West London Supported Interns

Ten West London College and Ealing Council Supported Interns graduated today, 29 June 2023, at the University of West London. The Supported Interns are all Ealing residents with an Education Health and Care Plan aged 24 and under. The interns’ families, teachers, job coaches and internship employers all gathered today for photos, speeches and a buffet.

Sayantha Thevathasan has already landed a job with Snowflakes Day Nursery. Sayantha has always had her heart set on working with children ever since high school. She said: “My internship gave me the confidence I needed to get a job. I met new people and I got lots of experience working in different departments.”

Aaron Billy Parker had a fantastic time working with the University of West London maintenance team, who presented him with a Del Boy drinking cup and tankard as well as a collection to thank him for his hard work. Aaron said: “I’m going to spend the money on some new trainers!”

Sharmya Abuneri enjoyed working for UWL as a kitchen assistant. In the future, she hopes to find paid work as a barista, as does Akram Ali who worked as a kitchen porter at UWL and a hospital porter at Northwick Park Hospital. Ariana Kurd liked her rotation with UWL’s HR team. She has built up a lot of customer service skills and hopes to work as a Receptionist.

Abubakar Aadan worked in the UWL kitchen where he says: “I really enjoyed working as part of a team.” In the future, he wants to get a well-paid job working in a warehouse.

Arman Daneshmand-Mehr loved working as a library assistant at UWL and hopes to go on to volunteer at Chiswick Library.

Ibrahim Mohamed hopes to become a football coach. Macy Timuri and Adrian Phillips-Morrison both had placements at Gunnersbury Sports Centre. Macy hopes to become a gym trainer and Adrian would like to work in construction.

Ailish Byrne, Supported Internship Teacher said: “Supported Internships are year-long programmes offering young people with an EHCP the opportunity to try out a variety of rotations to gain experience. Working with job coaches the interns develop their CVs, apply for jobs and enhance their employability skills.”