Woodlands Meed school holds first jobs fair for young people

The event brought together local employers, day services, transitional services and further education settings who have a passion for recognising the potential of people with special educational needs in the world of work, and the value of giving them the chance to contribute to society.

Woodlands Meed is a generic special needs school and college in West Sussex, and students who attend have a broad range of special needs and disabilities.

A spokesman for Woodlands Meed said: “Many of the students find new and unfamiliar environments and people challenging and the special educational needs and disability (SEND) careers and transition fair helped provide a highly supportive space to experience meaningful encounters with employers and transitional organisations to engage and inspire.

“Key stage three students attended in the morning followed by with key stages four and five in the afternoon.”

Parents and staff were invited to visit the event from 3pm to 5pm along with other young people with SEND from different local provisions to share the positive impact of this event beyond just those at Woodlands Meed.

The school said: “The feedback from those who attended described the event as a great success and incredibly valuable in giving young people a chance to gain a detailed insight into work possibilities and some of the future opportunities available.”

The school said businesses who attended the event said it provided employers with an insight into working with young people who have special educational needs.

Woodlands Meed has dedicated teaching staff who they say have ‘skills across a wide range of expertise.”

On their website, they say: “We benefit from a strong multi-disciplinary team of medical therapists, providing excellent care for all: speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, special school nurses and physiotherapy.

“They provide a highly personalised and creative curriculum, encouraging all students to achieve their full potential.”

The careers team at Woodlands Meed are already planning next year’s event, if you’re a local business who would like to know more please email [email protected].