Internship opportunities for disabled students and graduates: Change 100

Written by Delia Goodwin, Careers Consultant (Disability) at the Careers Service

Are you are a student or graduate with a disability, health condition, are neurodiverse or have a long term health condition? Have there been barriers to you getting work experience due to any of these, or to lack of opportunities because of the pandemic?

Change 100 may be the programme for you! Run by the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, this initiative matches disabled students and graduates to a wide range of summer internships with top employers across the UK. You are invited to join one of several webinars coming up, starting Tuesday,16 November where you will be able to learn more about the programme and get advice on applications. For more info on dates and registration visit our website.

The roles are diverse and cover a wide range of sectors, so there’s a strong chance there’ll be an opening that is right for you. See here the range of students who have benefited from this programme.

It has been reported: “100% of Change 100 interns said their experience has improved their confidence in the workplace” and also that “100% said their experience has strengthened their CV”, so don’t miss your chance to attend one of their webinars.

We’re delighted to include some comments here from Amy Bradley, one of our graduates who completed the scheme successfully in 2018 and has gone from strength to strength since. Amy found the experience was transformative:

“Change 100 came at the perfect time for me and provided an opportunity I could only have ever dreamed of.

Change 100 is about breaking down the stigma, gives freedom for complete disclosure, helps you to work out what reasonable adjustments will really enable you to do the best job that you can and to show who you really are.

It gives you the chance to talk to other graduates and University students, to share experiences, tips, advice, and to take strength from knowing that it’s not just you, alone — you’re part of something much bigger.

Change 100 provides that barrier between the impossible and the possible. It builds the bridge across the precipice, paves a path into the world beyond. That place you’d been looking wistfully at for so long.

For me, the most powerful part of Change 100 was being treated as a person first and foremost. Yes, I had a health condition/ disability, but that was secondary. I didn’t feel like the programme or my placement gave me ‘special treatment’: I was an employee, but, I knew that if I needed support I could speak up and it would be welcomed.”

You can read more about Amy’s story here. Interested in learning more about the the things Amy did? Check out this post where she talks through a Christmas choir she ran. Visit this website to hear about Amy’s reflections.

Watch this video to find our more.

We hope you find the Change 100 webinars useful and if you do apply then we can of course review your application- good luck!