Asda has expanded its successful Supported Internship Programme, offering year-long work experience placements to over 70 students with learning disabilities or learning difficulties. The programme will see Asda continue to collaborate closely with charity DFN Project SEARCH, expanding the initiative to a total of 11 stores including the existing Queensferry store.
The programme aims to give young people with special educational needs a taste of a real-life working environment. Only 4.8% of people in England / 4.1% in Scotland with a learning disability go on to secure paid employment once their education finishes compared to 80% of their peers1. Asda’s initiative will provide students the opportunity to learn new skills and grow in confidence so that they can gain employment once they finish their studies.
As part of the expanded programme, Asda will introduce bespoke uniform items for interns including t-shirts and fleeces will carry the message: “Happy to Help, please bear with me I’m learning”. The uniform will help customers recognise that the young people are learning so that they can build their confidence to support and interact with future customers.
Asda will also work closely with local colleges to provide students with a full-time course of study based at the store, as well as access to work-based experiential learning every day and a specific employability curriculum.
Asda became the first supermarket to collaborate with DFN Project SEARCH in the summer of 2023, which saw the retailer work closely with a local college – Coleg Cambria – to provide paid work experience at its Queensferry store.
After the 2023 / 2024 programme concluded earlier this year, Asda subsequently offered permanent positions to all of the five students within its Queensferry store, cementing its position as a diverse and inclusive employer.
The stores participating in the expanded programme are Farnworth Superstore, Sheffield Supercentre, Llandudno Superstore, Tunstall Superstore, Colne Superstore, Blackburn Superstore, Workington Superstore, Nuneaton Superstore, Hull Mount Pleasant Superstore, Derby Supercentre, and Queensferry Supercentre.
DFN Project SEARCH aims to support 10,000 young adults with a learning disability, or autism spectrum condition (or both) into paid employment by 2030 and has already helped more than 2,600 people to date.
Hayley Tatum MBE, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer for Asda, said:?“We’re delighted to build upon last year’s success with DFN Project SEARCH, and promote more accessible pathways into paid employment within retail.
“Last year, we saw just how much value our interns brought to our Queensferry store, our colleagues, and the local community. With 11 stores and over 70 students now involved, we’re continuing to improve our support to young people and ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and experience they need to gain future employment.”
Carmel McKeough, Interim Chief Executive of DFN Project SEARCH, added:?“We are thrilled to see Asda expanding their commitment to creating meaningful employment opportunities for young people with learning disabilities and autism. By increasing the number of stores involved in the programme, Asda is not only changing the lives of more young people but also setting an inspiring example for other businesses and positively impacting the local communities they serve. Together, we are tapping into a wealth of hidden talent, proving that with the right support and opportunity, these young adults can become valuable employees.“
The rollout of the expanded Supported Internship Programme comes as Asda continues to invest in supporting the development of colleagues. Recently, Asda Opticians launched a new apprenticeship programme which gave optical assistant colleagues the chance to become a Dispensing Optician (DO) – the first time an apprenticeship offering a degree level qualification has ever been run in the optical profession.
Asda also announced this week that it has raised almost £1million for UK primary schools within the first 72 hours of the retailer’s new Cashpot for Schools initiative. The industry first campaign sees Asda donate 0.5% of the value of its customers shopping to a primary school of their choice – every time they shop using Asda Rewards.
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