Students from USP College visited Castle Point Golf Course in November, learning about the day to day running of a busy golf facility.

Angela Hamilton is a Job Coach at USP College and helps SEN students improve their employability, through Supported Internships.

She said: “Our visit was a really useful way for our students to find out more about one of our local businesses. General Manager Brad Wellmen talked about all the job roles that are involved in keeping the golf club running, including marketing, greenkeeping and food preparation. The students also enjoyed a golf lesson on the driving range.”

Castle Point Golf Course has a history of supporting USP College through work placements. A former student of USP College, Joshua, also attended the visit.

Brad commented: “Joshua joined our greenkeeping team on a work placement through the USP College Supported Internship programme. His energy and enthusiasm meant he quickly became a valuable member of our team, and has since progressed to paid employment with us. It was great that Joshua was able to share his positive experience with other USP College students, who may now even consider a career in golf.”

Angela concluded: “We really appreciate the time given to us by Brad and the team at Castle Point Golf Course to engage with our students. We’re grateful to be developing such strong community links with local businesses.”

Supported Internships is a one year course designed for students up to the age of 25 with an EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan). This plan sets out the education, health and social care needs of a young person with special educational needs or disabilities. It makes the first steps into employment and learning new skills less daunting for individuals with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

The course benefits students that would like to further develop their functional skills and carry out practical voluntary work with an employer, with the support of a Job Coach.

More information about USP College Supported Internships can be found here:

https://www.uspcollege.ac.uk/courses-careers/our-courses/foundation-learning/supported-internship/