Hereward College students Luke Jay, Luke Jones and Luke Allen have all secured full time permanent jobs at Holiday Inn Kenilworth as a direct result of a supported internship with the hotel.
Supported internships are a work based study programme aimed at young people (aged 16 to 24) who have an education, health and care plan, and need extra support to move into employment.
Luke Allen has been offered a job as a waiter on the breakfast service and supporting hospitality events after spending 10 months working in a range of roles including reception, breakfast and dinner service, supporting events and generally meeting and greeting customers.
Luke Allen says: “It is a great working environment at Holiday Inn. The staff have been incredibly supportive and really helped me build my confidence. I have enjoyed experiencing new job roles in the workplace whilst developing new skills and feel incredibly proud to be able to join the team permanently.”
Luke Jay will be taking on the role of housekeeping and general maintenance having spent his time on the supported internship as part of the housekeeping team preparing rooms ready for guests and maintaining public areas.
Luke Jay says: “I was really nervous when I started and didn’t know what to say but thanks to this experience and the support of Hereward and Holiday Inn I have gained lots of skills to be able to work there. I am honoured to be a member of their staff and the housekeeping team.”
Luke Jones will be working permanently within the maintenance team where he has be doing a range of different roles from painting, general fixing, grounds maintenance and essential jobs to support the day to day upkeep of the hotel as part of his supported internship.
Luke Jones says: “It has been a great feeling how much I have achieved from working at the Holiday Inn. The staff have been so encouraging and given me the confidence, communication skills and independence that I didn’t have before. I’ve learnt so many different skills on my internship placement and it is a privilege to be able to continue working here.”
Louise Sheepy, General Manager at Holiday Inn Kenilworth said: “We are very happy with the three Lukes who have all become extremely valuable members of our team. It was our aim from the start of the supported internship to enable the young people to develop both personally and professionally, and we have certainly achieved that.
“Their fantastic approach to work and success has meant that we will continue our partnership with the college from September 2019, and I would highly recommend the programme to all employers in the Coventry and Warwickshire area.”
Rosie Herbert, Vice Principal at Hereward College said: “We are incredibly proud of our students getting such positive outcomes from their supported internships at Holiday Inn. The support provided by the staff at Holiday Inn Kenilworth has been amazing and it’s great to be working with a company who feels as passionate about encouraging young people into employment as we are.”
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