A winning night for Amey’s Streets Ahead team at the National RIDI Awards

20 Mar 2018

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Amey's Streets Ahead team has scooped the title of 'Extending the Reach for their Supported Internship Programme' at this year's Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards, a company spokesperson announced today.

Launched jointly in 2016 by infrastructure company Amey and Sheffield College, the internship programme supports local, young people with physical and learning disabilities to obtain vital work experience, gain new skills and increase their confidence.

Eleven young people have so far taken up placements in Amey since the start of the programme, including seven office based roles in the company's highway operations, IT and commercial departments, as well as four placements in the company's transport workshop and depot.

The innovative scheme is delivered jointly between Amey's Streets Ahead contract and Sheffield College, who provide an onsite job coach who supports the interns and their managers throughout. The interns spend their mornings working in a variety of roles in Amey's offices, workshops and depots while their afternoons are spent learning employability skills, maths and English at Sheffield College.

Darren Butt, Amey's Streets Ahead Account Director, sees huge potential in the scheme going forward and, following the RIDI award win, commented: “I'm so proud to receive this RIDI award for our Supported Internship Programme. We have been hugely impressed with our interns and I have personally enjoyed watching them develop their skills during their time with us and contribute to our aim of making better places for people to live, work and travel.

“This programme is vital for improving the skill set and experience of Sheffield’s young disabled workers and we are committed to continuing our partnership with Sheffield College over the coming months to that end. The skills these interns are learning are of great benefit to both them and us and will continue to benefit them throughout their careers.”

Helen Johnson, Community and Employee Engagement Officer who works with the college said: “We are sharing our learning across the company and encouraging colleagues to implement similar programmes. The benefits we have witnessed in Sheffield not only for the interns but our managers and teams has been enormous. We have all really enjoyed working with the interns and they made a great contribution to our day to day work becoming valued colleagues having a positive impact on our staff.”

David Lincoln, one of Sheffield College's Job Coaches, added, “It is great to see the interns gaining confidence and learning new skills. I'm confident these experiences will really help build up experience for their CVs and demonstrate that they have the skills and willingness to work. In addition, improved English and Maths skills will enable them to be better prepared for work, including handling money, interacting with the public, practising interview skills and becoming independent travellers. I look forward to welcoming new interns to the programme and working with Amey on future internships."

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