Case Study: Supported Internships Programme Success at Medequip Telford

Programme Impact

Feedback from both the job coach and interns highlights a consistently positive and impactful experience. The interns have described their experience as “amazing” and “really positive” showing clear evidence of progress in confidence, communication, and independence.

Interns have taken on varied and meaningful roles across the depot, including warehouse operations and delivery support, demonstrating their ability to contribute to real business outcomes while developing employability skills.

Each intern has been paired with a Medequip employee through a “buddy” system, providing one-to-one support and a dedicated point of contact for any assistance they may need. At the same time, they are encouraged to approach any member of staff if they require additional support.

The interns were asked: How comfortable do you feel asking questions or seeking guidance?

• “Very confident, because I asked for help yesterday from Jade because I needed some scissors or a safety knife to open the yellow straps on the boxes.”
• “Quite comfortable, I mean to learn how to do things I need to ask quite often because I might do one thing on the Monday and then not see that same equipment again until the following Monday, even it’s easy enough to remember how to do things, but I feel comfortable asking for help when I don’t know things”
• “I feel like I’m happy to ask, yeah”

A Supportive and Inclusive Workplace

A key factor in the programme’s success has been the welcoming, inclusive, and supportive culture at Medequip Telford. Staff have shown a consistently positive attitude towards the interns, demonstrating patience, understanding, and a willingness to adapt to individual needs. This has created a safe and encouraging environment where interns feel valued and respected.

Intern feedback reflects this culture when asked: How would you describe the team culture at Medequip?

• “They work together well and they are co-ordinated. Everybody is friendly and polite.”
• “Everyone is really friendly there and really helpful.”
• “I think they work with each other in a very cooperative way. If you need help with something, they might help me when they’re waiting for their routes and stuff, or have a laugh with you and stuff”

This strong sense of belonging has enabled interns to settle quickly and build positive working relationships with colleagues.

Learning, Skills Development and Confidence

The programme has provided interns with the opportunity to develop a wide range of practical and interpersonal skills.

These include teamwork, communication, technical skills, customer interaction, and problem-solving. Interns have also gained experience using equipment and tools, as well as understanding workplace processes and expectations.

Intern feedback highlights this development:

• “Helping Phil and the other people in there, team work. I’ve improved on that. Communication, talking to people. Customers and colleagues”
• “Since I’ve been there I’ve become a lot more technical, with doing all this I’m carrying around a lot more tools in my pocket and learning how to use them which I’ve not been very good at before”
• “I have learnt how to clean the beds and had a change of scenery. The warehouse is a lot bigger than my bedroom!”

These examples demonstrate not only skill development but also increased motivation and engagement with learning.

Meaningful Work Experience

A significant strength of the programme is the meaningful nature of the work undertaken by interns. Rather than observing, interns are actively involved in tasks such as building equipment, preparing items for delivery, cleaning and maintaining equipment, and supporting delivery teams as driver’s mates.

The interns were asked: What aspects of your work experience have you enjoyed the most?:

• “Besides the travelling, I’d probably say being able to do lots of very important work. I’m enjoying working as a team and learning about how the different job roles work together.”
• “Everything really, there’s all mainly the same stuff. There’s nothing unexpected and that makes me feel calm”
• “Working in the warehouse, putting the stickers on the items and building the equipment and helping the customers as well, because I’ve been doing that with Phil.”

This hands-on approach ensures that interns gain practical experience while understanding how their role contributes to supporting customers in the community.

Progress and Outcomes

The progress of interns has met or exceeded expectations. Key outcomes include:

• Increased confidence in workplace settings
• Improved communication and interpersonal skills
• Greater independence in completing tasks
• Ability to adapt to different roles and responsibilities

Interns have also shown initiative, with ALL requesting additional working hours, demonstrating increased engagement and commitment. This is also a testament to the hard work the Telford teams are doing to engage and be inclusive!

Each intern is supported by a dedicated job coach and a workplace ‘buddy’, ensuring that guidance is always available when needed. The team has also demonstrated flexibility by adapting working patterns to suit individual needs, such as spreading hours across multiple days. Each intern said how they felt supported by their buddy and by other staff within the depot.

Over time, support is gradually reduced to promote independence, while still maintaining a safety net to ensure ongoing success. The job coach has expressed confidence in stepping back, noting that the support and encouragement provided by Medequip teams has been fantastic. She also described Medequip as one of the most supportive employers they have ever worked with.

Challenges and Areas for Improvement

While the programme has been highly successful, some areas for improvement have been identified. The recruitment and onboarding process was longer than expected, leading to delays in interns starting their placements. There was also a need for clearer communication around timelines during the early stages.

This is reflected in intern feedback:

“I wish we didn’t have to wait so long to start.”

Addressing this moving forward will make the initial experience for interns and job coaches much more positive.

Conclusion

The Supported Internship Programme at Medequip’s Telford depot demonstrates the positive impact that inclusive employment initiatives can have on individuals and organisations.

Through a supportive workplace culture, meaningful work experience, and strong partnership working, the programme has enabled interns to develop valuable skills and confidence while contributing to the organisation.

With minor improvements to recruitment processes, the programme is well-positioned to continue delivering successful outcomes and could serve as a model for similar initiatives in the future.

To finish, interns were asked: Would you recommend this placement to other interns?

• “Yes if they’re interested in it. Because of how friendly the staff and the other colleagues are and how helpful they are to each other and helpful to you, like on the first day. Showing you where all the stuff is and where everything goes.”
• “Yeah”
• “Yes, I think it’s been helpful and it’s a good place to be, everyone there is supportive and helpful.”