Testimonial: Georgia’s Father

We have received this lovely email from Georgia’s father about his experience of Enable.

“We had heard very little about Supported Internships until we were visited at home by a representative from “Enable” – the organisation which promotes and manages internships in Shropshire. The opportunities the internships offered seemed ideal for our daughter, Georgia, who has Special Educational Needs and had not had the most academically successful time in school. All the companies working with Enable are vetted and totally “on board” with the aims of the internship, which made the introductions and planning so much easier than they might otherwise be.

Georgia’s enduring passion throughout her life has been horses. She had already been on a work experience placement in a commercial stables which had served her very well, but she still needed a structured route to the next level, which would make her an attractive candidate for a formal apprenticeship.

During the course of a year Enable worked closely with a prominent Shropshire riding centre to ensure Georgia received a thorough grounding in the stable                             

and yard skills she would need to commence an equine apprenticeship, along with arranging tuition in English and Maths to reach the minimum apprenticeship entry grades. Throughout this period a designated mentor from Enable was available, if required, to spend time alongside her at the stables if any difficulties arose either directly in connection with the work or with more personal issues such as motivation or clarity of direction.

In addition, in order to broaden her working experience beyond just horses, Enable arranged for a placement one day each week at Lower Bush Farm, which welcomes students with a variety of physical and learning difficulties to provide opportunities for land-based and animal care work. This exposed her to the needs of sheep, chickens, goats, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, peacocks and even a snake, the latter of which presented a challenge both to Georgia and her mentor.

As the Supported Internship drew to a close, Enable encouraged Georgia to apply for an apprenticeship position and used contacts they already had with the organisation in question to effect an introduction and recommendation. We were absolutely delighted when, following an informal interview, Georgia was immediately offered the apprenticeship and even asked to start work at the stables before the formalities had been completed. There is no doubt that the involvement of Enable was of great benefit to Georgia in achieving her goal. They were always there in the background to provide support and advice when required, but were never intrusive, thereby allowing Georgia to become a valued and respected member of the team during her placement in her own right, improving in confidence and self-esteem along the way.

Georgia comments: “It has always been my dream to work with horses. Nothing else interests me nearly as much. With the help of my mentors Brendan and Paul I feel I have earned my apprenticeship. It’s taken a lot of hard work, often in the cold and wet, and there is a lot more of that ahead but it’s worth it”.”