Mission EmployAble - Fulfilling lives for people with learning disabilities

Internships

MEA's Supported Internship Programme 2025/2026
20 hours a week*

We are an end of education programme aimed at getting young people with learning disabilities into permanent part time paid employment. We are based on the South Bucks/Herts border and accept young people with an EHCP between 18-25 years from anywhere in the local area, including High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Marlow, the Chalfonts, Amersham and Chesham, Watford, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Rickmansworth, Garston, Bushey, Harrow and Hillingdon.

We have achieved around 90% success in obtaining and sustaining employment over the 3 years that we have been training. Job placements have been in hospitality and catering, retail, hotels, deliveries, care homes, cleaning and schools. We are also now training in horticulture, warehouse work and kitchen skills.

Applications are open for 2025. We are delighted to welcome Schools/Colleges/LAs and other interested parties to the Café on the Common in the Pavilion on Chorleywood Common (WD3 5SG) to see our programme in action as well as meet our training team. Please email internships@missionemployable.co.uk if you would like to visit or if you have suitable young people for the internship.

Internship Flyer

Application Form

2025/2026 Internship Programme

*Some weeks may vary

Eligibility

To be able to join our programme, you must:

Be between 18-25 years old. *
Have an open and active Education Health and Care Plan.
Be able to travel to Café on The Common, c/o The Pavilion, Rickmansworth Road, Chorleywood, Herts WD3 5SG. This is MEA's training centre - up to 5 days a week.
Be a young person with a learning disability who is keen to develop new skills in the workplace.
Be ready to work together to achieve paid employment.
Be working at entry level 2 for both Functional English and Maths.
Know what work involves and be committed to staying on the course once you begin, and then aim to gain employment when you finish.
Have a supportive family who is going to work with MEA to assist you in gaining employment and encouraging your independence.

*Our interns can turn 18 within the internship year start of September 2025 to the first week in July 2026 but must not turn 26 within that period.

5 Steps Programme

1. Apply to Join + -

The first step is to express your interest in our internship programme by completing this form, and returning it to internships@missionemployable.co.uk, and we will contact you for a chat.

If your application is successful, you will get invited to a casual interview. There, we will ask you some questions and get you to carry out some practical tasks to see if you are a good fit. We would also ask you to bring along and talk to us about something that interests you related to work (preferably - 5 minutes). From here we will make a decision about who is joining the September 2025 team.

2. Welcome Pack + -

Before the programme starts, we will send you some information and social story about what your workspace will look like and a copy of your timetable ready for your September start at MEA, based at the Café on The Common in Chorleywood.

3. Internship Programme + -

Our programme is one academic year long and starts at the beginning of September. Throughout the internship, you will work a 20 hour week, made up of on-the-job training, plus 4 hours of Functional Maths and 3 hours of English & Employability classes.

We are here to support you every step of the way. In addition to the training you'll receive from our amazing team, you will learn transferable employability skills, such as working in a team, communicating effectively and managing yourself in the work place. You'll also be supported by our MEA Job Coach.

4. Employment Phase + -

When you come close to finishing the Internship Programme, you'll continue onto our Employment Phase. In the final months of your internship our Job Coach will help you find, apply and interview for a job.

Our partners are like-minded organisations - in a range of industries. We will make contact and attempt to fit you in a position that interests you and suits your skills and qualities. Once you graduate from our internship programme, we'll be there to help you to transition into your new role and keep in touch especially for social events.

If you are a potential employer partner, click here to view the flyer for more information.

5. Graduation + -

Thursday 27^th June was Graduation Day for our 2024 interns who successfully completed their 11-month supported internship with MEA.

We are so proud of you!

All of this would not have happened without our amazing training, catering and cafe teams.

To all of our customers, thank you for being part of our young people's journey and being part of our story.

580 Hours of Training & Support

Our internship is a unique programme designed around our interns' individual needs & focuses on getting them ready for the world of work - from building practical employability skills to focusing on building confidence and independence.

Training Location

Café on The Common in Chorleywood
c/o The Pavilion
Rickmansworth Road
Chorleywood
Herts WD3 5SG
Our new training centre which recently opened on the 16th January 2023, is the main base for MEA’s Supported Internship Programme.

Uniform

If you are already on the programme and require extra t-shirts or polos tops we have arranged via Beats School Uniform for you to order direct.

MEA provide 2 Polos and 2 Café on The Common T-shirts as part of each interns uniform plus an apron. Polos tops are worn for work experience and Maths / English / Employability lessons. Café on The Common t-shirt when working in the cafe.

Payment: Please pay direct
Collection or delivery: Pick up from their Watford town centre branch or Hitchen branch. Alternatively it can be hand delivered to your address. (Not to the training centre)

2025/2026 Internship Programme

Looking to join MEA’s Supported Internship Programme next year?

Please register your interest by emailing internships@missionemployable.co.uk and the team will contact you directly.

Testimonials

“Congratulations to all the graduates, some of whom we’ve met personally! We love what you are all doing and looking forward to continuing to support you!”
KindheART Charity

“I loved graduation so much!! Going to miss all of the Interns and staff with all the fun and incredible days we had together. But it’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later...”
Amy Hooper, Intern

“We can’t thank MEA enough for the amazing year Adam has had. M.E are the most wonderful, caring, dedicated and supportive team we could have wished for and we are proud to be part of the M.E family. Thank you.”
Amanda Jane, Adam’s Mother

“Congratulations to them all!”
Shirlie Kemp

Cassandra Langham
MEA Training Manager
internships@missionemployable.co.uk

Katharine Weston
MEA Chair
info@missionemployable.co.uk

Information Download

Use this button to download our flyer containing the information on this page for printing and distributing:

Internship Flyer

In order to maximise independence and enable a smooth transition from trainee to employee we do not employ our graduates for at least a year after graduation.