Exploring the transitions of young adults with SEND from education to work

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The thesis will explore the education to work transitions of young adults with SpecialEducational Needs and Disability (SEND). Nationally, the employment rates of SENDpopulations are just 6%. As one strategy to address this issue, the Department for Educationhas recently introduced year-long education to work programmes called SupportedInternships, which aim to prepare 16-24 year olds with SEND for competitive employment.The programmes are delivered by education providers and based full-time at a host employerworkplace site.Research on Supported Internships to date has predominantly focused on practical concernssuch as outcomes, and cost-effectiveness, with little in-depth insight generated into thefirst-hand perspectives of young people who have participated in the programmes. Myproposed doctoral thesis will seek to address this research gap by engaging with youngpeople who are completing Supported Internships (Interns) and those who have progressedthrough the programme (Graduates). This work will explore how these young people makesense of their transition experiences as they leave education, enter the workplace and3 / 19attempt to sustain themselves there. Drawing on perspectives from both these groups caninform the development of policy and practice in this relatively new area, as well as providevaluable insight into the ongoing needs of people with SEND in employment. The intendedprimary site of the proposed research is a multiagency Supported Internship programmebased at an NHS hospital, and prospective participants are young adults aged 16-27 withdiverse SEND, including autism, learning disabilities and sensory impairment.A programme of three studies will address the following research question: "How aretransitions from education to employment constructed by young adults with SpecialEducational Needs and Disability?". It is felt that an inductive, qualitative approach seekingfirst-person perspectives can facilitate rich and meaningful insight into these young people'slives. Study 1 will use an ethnographic approach, observing and interacting with Interns intheir everyday workplace setting. Narrative interviews will be used to generate in-depthaccounts from Interns (Study 2) and Graduates (Study 3). A Thematic Narrative Analysisapproach will be utilized to analyse these data and develop a rich analytical frameworkwithin and across participant accounts. Care will be taken throughout to ensure that theresearch process is accessible and responsive to the needs of participants.Adopting a participatory ethos, this study will seek to appoint a Project Advisory Groupcomprised of Interns and Graduates, and it is intended that they will be involved throughoutthe project, collaboratively shaping, interpreting and disseminating the work.