Access Compass guide
Supported internships and Access to Work
What a supported internship is, who qualifies, how to find a current Northamptonshire provider and where Access to Work can help with workplace support.
Published by Access Compass · How we research and check guides
Who it's for: Children & young people, Parents & carers, Professionals
✓ Verified Last checked 11 Jul 2026. Always confirm details with the service before relying on them.
Step by step
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Check supported-internship eligibility
Supported internships are full-time work-based study programmes for 16-24-year-olds with an EHC plan. They normally last at least six months and up to a year, with most time spent in a substantial employer placement and support from a trained job coach.
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Be clear about the goal and pay
The purpose is sustained paid employment. The internship placement itself is normally unpaid because the young person remains in education; an apprenticeship is different because it is a paid job with training. Ask providers for recent paid-employment outcomes, not only course-completion figures.
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Use current local lists
Provider lists change. West currently publishes Mencap Training Academy, Moulton College and Creating Tomorrow College; North lists supported-internship routes on its younger-adults page. Northampton College also publishes a direct programme page. Check the live council and provider pages for the next intake and location.
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Plan through the EHC review
Put paid-employment goals into the EHC-plan review, compare the work setting, hours, job-coach model, travel and progression support, then apply through the provider's current route. A generic work-experience placement is not automatically a supported internship.
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Use Access to Work during the internship
Access to Work may fund workplace support for a supported intern, including a job coach for up to 26 weeks, specialist equipment or additional disability-related travel costs. The intern or learning provider can request the supported-intern application form by calling 0800 121 7479; the award is individual and discretionary.
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Recheck support when paid work starts
When the young person moves into a paid job, apprenticeship or other eligible paid work, make or update the standard Access to Work application. It can fund support beyond the reasonable adjustments an employer is legally expected to make; it does not replace those employer duties.