Project SEARCH hosted a marvellous meet and greet afternoon at the University of Strathclyde on 22 November that unexpectedly turned musical.

The event encouraged family, friends and staff to come together and have a cuppa to talk about the incredible progress that this year’s Project SEARCH interns have achieved so far.

Project SEARCH is a one-year transition programme that provides employability training, education and opportunities for young people on the autistic spectrum or with learning disabilities. The Glasgow programme is enjoying major success, with more than 30 of its interns going on to paid employment. This contrasts with figures from the national Project SEARCH UK, which show that 75% of young people with a learning disability want to work, but just 6% are in paid employment.

What made this year’s meet and greet stand out was the surprising singing performance of the song ‘Memory’ from the musical 'Cats' performed by one of the interns, accompanied by violin played by a member of staff from Autism Network Scotland, one of the partners at Project SEARCH. The duo received a standing ovation for their impressive performance by all attending and made this meet and greet one to remember.

This year Project SEARCH took on nine interns to take part in three 10-week placements, to help them gain valuable work experience. Gary, Project SEARCH Intern, is currently working as a Conference and Events Assistant.  Gary said: “This placement has given me hands-on challenges that give me more of a chance to grow as an individual. Project SEARCH is a brilliant chance to find yourself and I think I’ve grown in my maturity.”

Angie Black, Service Manager for Glasgow City HSCP’s Supported Employment Service, said: “This event was incredible. It was great to see everyone mix together and have a good time. Our interns are doing fantastically well and we are very proud to see all the progress they’ve made since joining this programme. We are looking forward to watching continued progress in the next internships which start before Christmas.”

Find out more about Project SEARCH at https://www.dfnprojectsearch.org/ 

Find out more about the Glasgow Supported Employment Service at https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/supportedemployment