Courtney Garnett, 23, from Warwick, is a student at WCG, Moreton Morrell College and has spent the last academic year on a Supported Internship Programme with placements hosted by Warwickshire County Council. As part of this she has worked on a virtual platform one day a week with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service's (WFRS) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team.  

Supported Internships offer students with Education, Health and Care plans an opportunity to gain work experience while studying and a chance to develop their skills. Students spend at least three days a week working with an employer and performing a specific role to meet a business need. They are an initiative that Warwickshire County Council has been championing to support children and young people with special educational needs and disability in the county. 

Courtney’s main job role with WFRS was a project to develop a Service Directory of all the voluntary and community groups and organisations working to support children and young people, older people and groups covered by the Equality Act 2010. The directory will improve the capacity and efficiency of officers at WFRS with collaborative work, engaging with different communities across the county. 

Courtney said: “I loved my whole experience working with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. I loved creating the service directory and while there were challenges to find the information for some of the groups, the service directory has made me feel happy because I know it is going to be used by Warwickshire County Council WFRS as a service to benefit other people. 

“I wish I could have started my placement earlier than planned, but due to circumstances I couldn’t because of Covid. I would change the fact of being in the office a bit more with Imran and Jo - I really enjoyed these visits and it wasn’t always easy working remotely at College. I hope the next intern has the same great experience as me.” 

During the internship, Courtney developed a range of skills and qualities including her IT skills and knowledge, her confidence to communicate with others on a professional level, resilience to adapt to different situations and perseverance to learn new tasks.  

Warwickshire County Council is supporting a number of students with Supported Internships and members of the public can find out more here:  https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/post16help.  

Councillor Jeff Morgan, Portfolio Holder for Children, Families and Education, at Warwickshire County Council said: “I’m delighted to hear about Courtney’s positive experiences of working with Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. Supported internships are a great way for young people with an education, health and care plan to gain valuable experience in the workplace and I look forward to hearing about Courtney’s next steps.”