EmployAbility

EmployAbility at Cadent was founded in 2014. This award winning Supported Internship scheme builds confidence, develop skills, raises aspirations and provides a step on the career ladder for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Operating out of our head offices in Hinckley and Coventry, we partner with local special schools to offer opportunities for students in their final year of education. The Internship runs for the academic year and students are supported by Job Coaches who are employed by our partner schools and funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. Whilst at Cadent the interns complete three work placements whilst also studying for a BTEC in work skills. Now in our fifth year, we offer a wide range of placements across most of our departments as well as partnering with our supply chain based on site; 14 Forty and CBRE.

Cadent has seen long-term success rates of 73% of interns achieving paid employment against the national average for this group of just 6%. Other interns have gone on to further education in mainstream colleges to pursue particular careers; none have become NEETs (not in employment, education or training). Our experience over the last five years shows that supported internships can be highly successful and life changing for the interns as well as becoming a valuable talent pool for our business. We aspire to make the scheme more sustainable by offering more opportunities and have been working closely with external businesses within our local community, sharing our experiences to encourage external placements. This has started to show some real success with businesses not only hosting placements but, in some cases, committing to new placements, employment or even now starting their own schemes.