Our employer partners
The college enjoys long-standing relationships with employers who are enjoying the many benefits of our supported internship scheme, having worked with us for several years.
Here are some of our employer partners and short films featuring supported interns at their workplace.
Evtec Automotive
Evtec Automotive produces complex parts for UK car makers including Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, McLaren and Aston Martin.
The company has a history of employing people with disabilities and an inclusive approach to employment – more than 40% of the workforce at its Coventry plant has some kind of disability.
Evtec Automotive initially offered work experience placements to Foundation students at Hereward College before becoming a supported internship partner with a job coach based full-time on site to work alongside the students.
The highly successful partnership has seen more than 120 Hereward students hosted by Evtec on work experience programmes including supported internships.
SES Engineering Services
Engineering students train in an impressive workshop on the college campus, complete with a state-of-the-art assembly line generously equipped by Coventry offsite manufacturing firm SES Engineering.
The firm has employed two Hereward students in the past 12 months at its Prism Manufacturing facility in Coventry following training placements.
Premier Inn
In 2019 Whitbread invested in a Premier Inn training hotel on-site at Hereward College which includes three bedrooms, reception and storage/housekeeping room .
Job coaches are trained by and alongside Premier Inn staff and students at all levels access the facility for general work experience training linked to customer service, hospitality and housekeeping skills.
This provides learners with the skills to progress into a supported internship or apprenticeship in the hospitality industry.
Severn Trent Water
We have worked with Severn Trent Water on their innovative EmployAbility scheme for the past decade. This offers our students an internship at Severn Trent to help them gain valuable career skills and experience of working in a large workplace .
The interns, who are supported by a team of Severn Trent graduates who act as buddies, work in a number of departments at the firm’s Coventry headquarters, including the admin, property and river ranger teams.
The utilities firm has taken on a new cohort of interns each year since 2016 and says the scheme has delivered amazing students who have done some absolutely fantastic work.
University of Warwick (Project Search/Warwickshire County Council)
The university offers a variety of supported internships at its Warwick campus, as wide ranging as retail assistant and tour guide.
This year we have interns working at its Sports and Wellness Hub, at Rootes Grocery Store, Warwick Arts Centre and in hospitality roles at Warwick Conferences .
West Midlands Police
Supported interns at West Midlands Police take on a number of office-based roles including customer service, data analytics, IT support, finance, HR, marketing and administration.
Our successful partnership with the force has also resulted in several permanent positions.
“We have been working with Hereward for a few years now, and it has been a pleasure and delight. Seeing the students join various areas and become part of our teams offers numerous opportunities for development for both the students and our own teams.
The journey from initially meeting the students to each one joining one of the various teams and areas here at Warwick makes them truly feel a part of what we do. Additionally, visiting the college and providing extra support through our chef brigades is equally delightful. We are now in our second year of this initiative, and it continues to go from strength to strength.”
Clive Singleton, Head of Conference and Event Catering - Warwick Conferences