Henry Schein Dental UK and Forward2Employment help young adults with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities gain career experience
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 30th March 2022
Henry Schein Dental recently participated in two Forward2Employment events, presenting to the parents of young people with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) about the positive impact of internships. The Henry Schein Dental team discussed how internships can help young individuals boost confidence, gain valuable skills, and find a route into employment.
Held on 7 and 9 March 2022, at The Joiners Shop, Chatham Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, Team Schein Members, Helen Stubbs, Senior HR Business Partner, Dean Knight, Communications and Engagement Partner, Debbie Hatt, Operations Manager, and Carol Corthine, Team Leader, spoke with parents about the company’s internship programme, the meaningful contributions interns have made to the business, and the notable confidence boost interns gain from the programme. The team also shared insights about the Henry Schein intern experience, helping to answer questions and relieve any anxiety parents may have.
“It is a real privilege to support our interns, and we have the opportunity to nurture and help these young adults grow as individuals,” said Debbie Hatt, Operations Manager at Henry Schein. “Our team plans to help more interns in the future, and we are happy to discuss how we invite interns to our team culture.”
Forward2Employment works alongside Fortis Trust, a non-profit dedicated to providing high-quality education for children in Medway and Kent, to help young people with SEND find permanent and purposeful employment. Henry Schein Dental has partnered with Forward2Employment since 2018, welcoming three groups of interns with SEND to the company resulting in seven individual internships. Interns had the opportunity to work in the company’s distribution warehouse, helping with picking, packing, and posting products to Henry Schein Dental customers.
“Helping young adults find employment and sponsoring those first career steps is fundamental to assisting the next generation achieve success, and we are keenly aware that this can be even more difficult for young adults with SEND,” said Helen Stubbs, HR Business Partner at Henry Schein Dental. “Through our cooperation with Forward2Employment, we have been able to help local young people gain invaluable experience through our warehouse operations while helping to provide personal development. Each intern is a valued part of our working family, and we are pleased to have welcomed two interns into permanent employment with us so far.”
“Henry Schein Dental was our flagship business partner when we first embarked on this journey, and the team has supported us in our endeavours to provide for the young people of Kent and Medway,” said Liz Halton, Director and Head of Provision at Forward2Employment. “There has been a lot of learning on both sides, but Henry Schein has always been open to suggestions and adapting for the young people. The experience the interns have received has been invaluable in supporting them on their way into employment. They have really been made to feel like part of the family.”
Henry Schein Dental embraces and celebrates the diversity of its workforce, its customers, the patients they serve, its shareholders, its supplier partners, the communities in which the company operates, and society at large. The company has a holistic approach to diversity and inclusion and believes that an integrated approach to its Diversity & Inclusion journey ensures success by cultivating its culture, recruiting and retaining diverse talent, supporting its marketplace, and continuing its commitment to society. To learn more about Henry Schein’s Diversity & Inclusion efforts, please click here.
