TEENAGERS with special needs are embarking on internships to help them prepare for the world of work.
Project Search was launched two years ago to help youngsters with conditions like Asperger's and autism, and four out of the five participants so far have already found paid work.
The scheme is the result of a collaboration between Notts County Council, the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust and Foxwood Academy, a special school in Derby Road, Bramcote.
The project sends people with learning difficulties to placements at the City Hospital, in departments including catering and IT.
Ryan Gibbons, 17 who lives in Eastwood, worked in the hospital's IT department and has now earned a one-year full-time contract.
Ryan, who went to Foxwood Academy, suffers from autism, dyspraxia and dyslexia.
He said: "I started off in the hospital's IT department, repairing PCs and that sort of thing.
"Working every day from 10am to 3pm, It prepares you for work quite well.
"Overall it has given me a lot of experience and more confidence. It's about routine and being in a proper job – It really opened my eyes to the world of work.
"The scheme is a really, really good opportunity for disabled people and other people who are finding it hard to get into work."
Darren Stapleton is employment co-ordinator and runs Project Search.
He said the idea originally came from America and revolves around people with special needs using their last school year to learn in a working environment rather than an academic one.
He added: "Together we put a plan together on how to get them a job.
"They do three rotations on three different departments and we support them heavily with the social aspects of work. They immerse themselves in the world or work.
"My job is to broker placements and the aim is absolutely paid work at the end. It's not just a work experience.
"These guys don't get the chance of work without the support of us and the hospital. There's just not many adult with learning difficulties going to paid employment."
Foxwood Academy funds the project and participants will be helped to find alternative work if there are no places at the City Hospital.
Stephen Ellison, technical operations manager in IT services at the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, which runs the QMC and City Hospital, said: "Ryan is an excellent example of how well this project can work.
"He's been eager, enthusiastic and keen to learn – and has shown that by taking on some of the smaller jobs at first, you can develop skills and experience in the real world of work leading to paid employment."
