Henry Schein wins Kent DWP Employer Award
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 28th November 2019
Henry Schein Dental have won an Employer Award at the Kent Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Employer Awards ceremony. The awards celebrate the support that employers give to people who require extra help entering the workforce, including young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Henry Schein Dental received this acknowledgement in recognition of the Supported Internship programme that it has established with Bradfields Academy, a local school catering for SEND youngsters mainly within the Medway area of Kent. Galvanised by the shocking statistic that only 6% of the current adult working population with SEND find employment, the scheme saw three students from Bradfields employed at Henry Schein’s Gillingham-based
warehouse in September 2018.
The students worked in the warehouse, spending time in different departments to gain experience and were supported throughout by an in-house job coach. They also spent one day off site working towards English and Maths GCSE qualifications. At the end of a successful year, two of the internees were offered full-time employment with Henry Schein, and four new students are interning with the company for what everyone hopes will be a second promising year.
The scheme was awarded ‘Exceptional’, the highest level in the Schools Support category of the Awards at an event held at Grosvenor Hall in Ashford and attended by outbound supervisor for operations at the Henry Schein warehouse, Ashley Doe, who said, “It’s fantastic to be recognised in this way. The instant success of our internship scheme has shown us just what is achievable, and we are looking forward to seeing our new group of interns flourish.”
