This newsletter from Hinckley provides information about National Grid and their EmployAbility program. National Grid is a regulated energy company in the UK and US, serving over 10 million gas and 3.4-3.6 million electricity customers. Their EmployAbility program provides supported internships for young people aged 17-25 with special educational needs or disabilities to help them gain skills, confidence, and paid employment. The program partners with schools and government to fund job coaches who place interns at company sites. Benefits to companies include inspiration from overcoming challenges, community engagement, and staff development with little resource needs. An alumni of the program, Taurai Horton, shares his experience progressing from an internship

1. Hinckley newsletter: September - November 2014
25 October 2016
Making connections that matter
Becky Easterbrook, Site lead
Taurai Horton, Graduated intern

2. Introducing National Grid
Regulated energy company
UK
• National Gas and Electricity
transmission networks
• Gas Distribution – 10 million
customers
• Interconnectors, metering and LNG
terminal at Grain
US
• East coast – New York,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island
• End-to-end service
• 3.4 million customers for electricity
• 3.6 million customers for gas

3. Context: Why change is so
desperately needed - Employment rates
A rich source of hidden and untapped talent
Only 6% of students with learning difficulties and
disabilities (LDD) achieve paid employment
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
LDD
Disabled
Non-disabled
Employment Rates

4. EmployAbility – Our Mission
4
EmployAbility – Our Mission
To provide Supported Internships
for young people with special
educational needs & disabilities
aged 17 – 25

5. 5
Develop new skills
Build their confidence
Gain paid employment
Big impact – low cost

6. 6
Partner with
Special
Schools
Provide
Supported
Internships
Job Coaches
funded by
Government
“Employment
ready”
recruits
How it works – Our model

7. What do you need to make it happen?
7
A room in which to
base the job coaches
and interns
Management lead at
each site
Job coach uniforms Executive or senior
sponsorNetwork of sponsors
providing placements
(including your
supply chain as
appropriate)
Communications
lead raising profile in
business
Laptops/PC for job
coaches (& interns if
appropriate)
“Doers” – for example, graduates
or mentors who will lead activities
such as arranging ‘taster days’
Partnership with HR to agree open interview
process for vacancies etc.
Cost - £500/intern

8. Benefits to the company
 Inspiration – seeing young people with personal
challenges break through barriers inspires staff to see
business challenges in a different light
 It needs no full time employee(s) managing it –
volunteers lead and support it. Their personal satisfaction
and development grows
 It connects us to our local communities
 We build positive partnerships within our business and
bring together people from different departments
 Job coaches are the hub and make it easy for the
business to adopt
 It makes our employees feel ‘confident’ about disability 8

9. 9
My story - Taurai
Horton, Graduated
intern

10. 10
My primary school –
Ridgeway
My secondary school
– Round Oak

11. 11
My internship with
National Grid

12. 12
My first job – Safety &
Environmental
Standards Team

13. 13
My progression
From creating timelines/
action plans…

14. 14
…to producing
business cases

15. 15
Why did I tell you
this?
Big Impact – Low
Cost