In National Apprenticeship Week 2026 (Feb 9-15) – Young SEN students from specialist college SWRAC show how they are making their mark in the world of work.
SWRAC Merseyside supports young people with SEND and young people who are unable to attend mainstream education and works in partnership with a range of local employers to offer Supported Internships with work experience placements, which often lead to paid employment.
SWRAC Bootle student Tom, 19, became the first SWRAC/Greene King Supported Intern in June 2025, spending three days a week working at the pub and brewing company’s Lime Street Central pub in Liverpool and two days a week studying for qualifications in maths, English, and customer service.
He has been so successful that he has now been offered a paid Saturday job.
Tom said: “I work mainly in the bar serving drinks and food, making sure there is water for customers and preparing fruit for drinks. I learned how to pour the different pints, and my favourite part of my job is serving customers.”
He added: “I go to work and back on the bus on my own now and the staff and my manager Stuart help me if I need.
“My Tutor at SWRAC Colin is helping to get my Citizenship card and own bank account. I’m pleased because my job will give me independence – and money in my pocket.”
Lime Street Central General Manager Stuart Robertson said: “Tom is doing really well and has progressed quickly from basic bar tending to making coffees and serving food to customers. He has come on in leaps and bounds.”
SWRAC has campuses in Bootle, Southport, and Widnes.
Claire Kennedy, Centre Manager at SWRAC Bootle, said: “Tom came to us because the school environment never suited his learning and personal needs and as a result he, like many of our students had left education and was struggling to see a way forward. He was very shy, but we have seen his confidence grow so much since he started at Greene King.
“The staff and General Manager Stuart have been supportive of his needs and as a result, his communication skills have improved greatly.
“The offer of paid work will open new doors in Tom’s life, which perhaps hadn’t seemed possible to him before.
“Greene King has been hugely positive to work with, and we hope they will continue to support our Supported Internship programme and enable more students to prove themselves and gain meaningful employment.”
Tate is enjoying work experience at The Bootle Tool Shed.
Tate, 18, has been a student at SWRAC in Bootle for two years and after completing prepare for life and prepare for work courses is now on the Supported Internship programme with work experience at Bootle Tool Shed – a volunteer-run enterprise which brings together men mainly aged 50+ in activities including woodwork & joinery, DIY, and furniture repair.
Tate said “I was made up when I was offered a place at the Tool Shed because I want to do joinery and carpentry.
“I build projects out of wood and have made a memory box, a wooden garden owl, a shelving unit, a desk, a bird box for the garden, a toy marble run and coin drop toy – and I’m now working on a toy mini ship ride that swings from side to side.
“The people are nice and you can have a laugh with them. They help me by showing how to use the machines and different tools.”
He added: “I look forward to going. I have learned how to plan a project and then measure out the wood I’ll be using before using the different tools to cut and shape the wood.
“My family and friends are also happy I’m working there.”
Founder and Manager of the Tool Shed, Eddy Flynn said Tate has brought enthusiasm and youth to the Tool Shed and has surprised members with his use of the latest technology.
“We hadn’t had any young people on work experience with us before, it’s very new to us, but it’s fantastic,” he said.
“The beauty of somewhere like this is that the older guys can share their knowledge and experience with Tate and he can try new things at his own pace.
“He is currently building a model of a ship using a 3D Printer Pen alongside traditional woodworking methods and the other guys have been amazed by the technology and are now looking forward to trying it themselves. They are older, but like Tate they are still learning.