THE first year of a pioneering initiative to support autistic young people, and young people with learning disabilities, into work has been hailed as a success.
Project SEARCH Inverclyde is an employment-focused education programme is designed to help people with the transition from leaving school to employment.
All 12 interns who took part have successfully completed the year and are expected to receive offers of permanent work. Together with their friends and family they celebrated their success at a special graduation ceremony in Greenock Town Hall.
Chair of Inverclyde Alliance Board, Councillor Elizabeth Robertson congratulated them on their achievements. She said: “I’m delighted that Project SEARCH has been a success in Inverclyde and has had such a positive impact on our young people.
“The feedback from the young people, their parents and the employers where they spent their internships is overwhelmingly positive. The Alliance Board is all about bringing partners together for the benefit of everyone in Inverclyde and this project is a great example of the good that can be done.”
Based on the internationally recognised DFN Project SEARCH model, the programme supports the young adults by providing real workplace experience; mentors helping to develop employability skills; and tailored, person-centred support to help them move into paid employment.
The project was initiated and led by Inverclyde Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), with part funding and support from Inverclyde Council, and run in partnership with Unity Enterprise, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and West College Scotland, and supported by DFN Project Search.
The interns worked at schools across Inverclyde in office, kitchen and janitorial roles, In HSCP day opportunities services, as well as in libraries, in NHS catering and portering roles.
Some feedback from the interns, their parents and employers included:
“Thank you for teaching me new skills, these few weeks have been incredible and unforgettable.”
“Project SEARCH has been such a positive, life-changing experience for Jessica and we can’t thank you enough.”
“We absolutely adore Sophie. She has really fitted in. She is so happy and positive.”
“Jessica’s creative side shone through when she was writing Christmas cards for Book Bags going to individuals who are unable to access the library. She wrote a lovely personal message and hand-illustrated each one. After seeing this we asked Jessica to be in charge of decorating one of the Central Library windows for our Christmas display.”
Robert Spiers, head of learning disability from Unity Enterprise, said: “This graduation marks a significant milestone not only for our interns, but for everyone involved in bringing Project SEARCH to Inverclyde. Over the past year we have seen young people grow in confidence, develop workplace skills, and move closer towards sustainable employment.
“The success of the programme highlights what can be achieved when organisations work together with a shared commitment to inclusion and opportunity.”
As well the real-life supported internships, the young people received classroom support at West College Scotland and worked towards a range of qualifications including the Employability Group Award at SCQF Level 4.
Paul Martin, head of pathways and communities at West College Scotland, said: “The intake for 2026/27 continues to fill up but anyone interested in finding out more should contact Tom Marner at tom.marner@wcs.ac.uk.”
Case study: Zoe Eardley
When she first started with Project SEARCH, Zoe was very shy and quiet with a history of diagnosed selective mutism. She struggled speaking out in front of the whole group but was very articulate and happy to chat in small groups or 1 to 1 with lecturer or job coaches.
Zoe’s classwork was of a high quality from the beginning, and she showed a real commitment to the course and also in pursuing her work goals.
Zoe started with the Inverclyde Royal Hospital’s catering team mentored by Helen. Zoe from the first week had offered to do extra hours to see more of the role, which was encouraged by her mentor and catering supervisors. Feedback was that she listened well and picked up tasks quickly, she was willing to do all tasks without hesitation.
As Zoe’s confidence grew during her internship, it was also evident in the classroom as she felt comfortable in speaking out whether in class activities or in group settings.
Zoe’s attendance and time commitment was exemplary which was noted by catering managers and mentors alike. The two mentors for the catering team swapped interns, giving Zoe the opportunity to work with Irene in the cool room for fresh food prep, products then used by catering teams serving wards and also the canteen serving staff. The feedback again was that Zoe listened well to take on tasks and, once familiar with the role, showed initiative to proactively complete tasks demonstrating competence and reliability.
A catering manager told Project SEARCH that a post was going to be advertised and that they were keen for the interns to apply. Zoe and the other catering intern were supported to apply for the post as soon as it went live and then given two interview coaching sessions in preparation for interview.
Zoe was successful in getting the job which started in January 2026. She continued to receive support from the Project SEARCH team for the remainder of the project.
