Celebrating National Supported Internship Day 2026

National Supported Internship Day (NSID) is a nationwide celebration of supported internships in the UK. It was created and launched in 2023 by our employability partner, DFN Project SEARCH.

Held annually on 27th March, the aim of National Supported Internship Day is to raise awareness of supported internships and the excellent interns whose experiences in workplaces help to inspire confidence, build skills and shape futures!

At ClwydAlyn, we enjoy working with DFN Project SEARCH and we love being part the internship schemes which are offered to their interns!  Supported internships are a proven and effective transition-to-work pathway for young people with learning disabilities and/or autism.

This year, we caught up with some of the interns, to find out more about their placements, and how they’re getting on…

• Name: Dylan
• Age: 22 years old
• From: Flintshire
• Aim: To work in a kitchen because I’ve wanted to do that since I left college.
• Current Placement: Kitchen placement in a ClwydAlyn independent living scheme.

Quick Fire Questions:

• Can you describe your placement in three emojis?

Knife, veg and cake

• What’s your go-to snack during the work day?

A cup of coffee

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

Peeling, chopping, serving and baking

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

The Day in life in the Kitchen with Tom Holland

Let’s Find out More About Dylan’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

I enjoyed learning about what the residents like to have for their pudding and socialising with all the kitchen staff and the residents

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

I get my confidence from receiving feedback.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

Baking because I hadn’t done baking before.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

I am just so proud that I am doing something that I like to do.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

I would tell them that I’ve just really enjoyed being on this programme.

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

I have gained so much more confidence in myself since I started this placement that I can take into the real world and I can do more for myself.

• Name: Daniel
• Age: 27
• From: Mold
• Aim: To build confidence and meet new people
• Current Placement: Porter in a community hospital

Quick Fire Questions:

• Can you describe your placement in three emojis?

Person walking, bins, cage

• What’s your go-to snack during the work day?

Usually a bar of chocolate

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

Listening

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

The Porter Diaries starring Rowan Atkinson

 Let’s Find out More About Daniel’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

I have enjoyed meeting new people and getting to know the staff.

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

Getting regular positive feedback from the staff.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

I now know how to move patients safely and properly.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

I am most proud of being able to keep to a routine and completing tasks at a good pace.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

I would tell them about how much support you are given from the staff and tutor and that they will make adjustments to work around you. It is a good way of boosting your confidence if it is low, as you are able to try things you might not usually do.

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

I’m surprised that I have been given the responsibility of completing tasks independently so quickly into my placement, but feel proud about this.

• Name: Katie Jane
• Age: 29
• From: Mostyn
• Aim: To help me with my employability skills and to have support with finding a job
• Current Placement: Admin assistant at a doctor’s surgery in Flint

Quick Fire Questions:

• Can you describe your placement in three emojis?

Smiley Faces x 3!

• What’s your go-to snack during the workday?

A chocolate bar and herbal tea.

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

The best skill I have picked up so far is time management.

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

Lovely Laurels and Katy Perry would play me.

Let’s Find out More About Katie’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

The things that I have enjoyed on my placement are unfolding patients’ documents, photocopying patients’ documents, scanning patients’ documents, third-party checking patients’ documents and printing out patients’ documents.

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

My attendance and my timekeeping.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

Unfold patients’ documents and put them in date order.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

What I am most proud of learning on my placement is photocopying patients’ documents and third-party checking patients’ documents.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

The advice I would give someone who is thinking about a supported internship is to speak to the HFT supported internship team if you want to do a supported internship.

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

The fact that I am a very hardworking individual.

• Name: Lilly
• Age: 19
• From: Mancot
• Aim: I didn’t want to go to college and felt the placement would help me learn new skills and have three opportunities to try different work settings.
• Current Placement: Café assistant at a café in Flint

Quick Fire Questions:

• Can you describe your placement in three emojis?

Coffee mug, sandwich, frying pan with egg.

• What’s your go-to snack during the workday?

Chocolate.

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

Interacting with customers.

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

Princess and the Frog and Emma Watson would play me.

Let’s Find out More About Lilly’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

Learning how to use the different equipment like the barista machine.

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

Support from my tutor/job coaches and the staff in the café.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

Go up to strangers and talk comfortably.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

Using the barista machine.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

It’s a good opportunity that you don’t want to miss out on.

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

I’ve gotten more comfortable in asking for help.

• Name: Shane
• Age: 20
• From: Flintshire
• Aim: I wanted to learn new skills and meet new people and gain work experience to understand the working environment.
• Current Placement: NHS Hospital Porter

Quick Fire Questions:

• What’s your go-to snack during the workday?

Biscuits

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

Teamwork

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

The Serries House and Tom Holland would play the role of a porter.

Let’s Find out More About Shane’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

Learning as many skills as possible.

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

The staff are friendly and supportive.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

Speaking more often and having organisation skills when doing the waste.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

Learning as many new skills as I can.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

I would tell them to take the opportunity and join as they will get to not only work experience from the placements but also gain new skills and meeting new people who are supportive and friendly and could become future friends.

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

That I have gained more confidence in talking to new people easily.

• Name: Thomas
• Age: 29
• From: Holywell
• Aim: I want to get a paid job
• Current Placement: Painting and decorating with Wall-Lag

Quickfire Questions:

• Can you describe your placement in three emojis?

Paintbrush, car and house

• What’s your go-to snack during the work day?

Gregg’s sausage roll

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

Talking to more people

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

Tom the Painter, and I’d be played by Chris Hemsworth

Let’s Find out More About Thomas’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

Doing painting and decorating and getting to work alongside my mentors.

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

Working with the people from Wall Lag.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

Talk to more people.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

Learning new painting skills and building my confidence.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

Just give it a go!

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

That my confidence has grown, and I have learnt new painting skills.

• Name: Arijus
• Age: 18
• From: Flintshire
• Aim: I wanted help in getting a paid job
• Current Placement: Domestic assistant in a community hospital

Quick Fire Questions:

• Can you describe your placement in three emojis?

A mop, a bucket and gloves.

• What’s your go-to snack during the work day?

Something sweet like a donut or cake.

• What’s the best skill you’ve picked up so far?

I have learned about the different colour coded cloths used in different areas.

• If your placement was a film, what would it be called and who would play you?

Spotless Mate, featuring Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny.

Let’s Find out More About Arijus’s Placement:

• What is something you have enjoyed learning on your placement?

Learning all the new skills like mopping and learning all the different colour coded cloths/mops

• What’s helped you feel more confident at work?

Meeting the staff, manager and supervisors. And, having my job coach with me.

• What is one thing you can do now, that you couldn’t before?

Mopping the floors.

• What are you most proud of learning on your placement?

Meeting the staff and mopping because I hadn’t done this before.

• What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a supported internship?

You would enjoy it – the staff are friendly and kind.

• What has surprised you about yourself since starting the internship programme?

It has surprised me how quick I gained new skills and how quickly I settled in with the team.

 Huge thanks to all the featured interns for sharing these valuable insights into their experiences so far! We wish them well in their placements!

If you would like to find out more about NSID either from the perspective of an intern or a professional, visit: National Supported Internship Day | DFN Project SEARCH

Or download an information pack here: Internal Document

#NSID2026