Siemens Mobility has celebrated the first-ever graduation from its pioneering DFN Project SEARCH programme, which provides young people with special educational needs and disabilities with the skills and experience needed to enter the world of work.
Five young people — Linden Campbell, Leon Delsaint, Byron Myers, Milena Wantoch-Rekowska, and Lucy Yardy — completed the year-long supported internship at the new Goole Rail Village. The programme, a partnership between Siemens Mobility, DFN Project SEARCH, Selby College, and the national charity Hft, combines classroom learning with hands-on workplace experience.
Over the past year, the interns worked in various departments, including the train assembly factory, warehousing, and procurement, gaining valuable practical and soft skills. The initiative’s success has been supported by over 50 Siemens Mobility volunteers who acted as mentors.
Craig Beech, Service Operations Manager at the Goole Rail Village, said: “It’s been inspiring to watch these young people grow in confidence and capability throughout the year. They have been given genuine roles in the workplace becoming integral team members, contributing meaningfully to our operations while developing the skills they need for their future careers. The programme has the single objective of preparing the interns for the world of work and it has certainly achieved that.”
One of the graduates, Lucy Yardy, 23, has already secured a job as a catering assistant at the Rail Village. She will work 20 hours a week with catering provider Compass Group.
Lucy said: “I’m very excited about my new job. I particularly enjoyed the catering rotation during the programme and I’m now looking forward to making lots of nice meals and serving people at Siemens.”
The success of the programme has prompted Siemens Mobility, a Disability Confident Employer, to expand its commitment, with a new cohort of six interns set to start in September.
Kirsty Matthews, CEO at DFN Project SEARCH, said: “Through our workplace-based programmes, such as the one run with Siemens Mobility, we have seen young people with a learning disability, who are autistic, or both, demonstrate their talents and capabilities every day. Over the past year, our partnership with Siemens Mobility has allowed five interns to each gain 800 hours of workplace experience and has proven that, when businesses look beyond traditional recruitment, everyone benefits.”
Images: Hull News and Pictures
