Youngsters with learning difficulties or autism have begun a one-year university course in east London to get work experience.
Five interns have been taken on at Queen Mary University's Mile End campus to give them skills and experience to improve their future job prospects.
'This programme helps remove barriers to joining the workforce for a person with a learning disability or autism, ' project coordinator Tanya Choudhury explained.
'Autism is a condition for life, not an illness or disease, but lack of awareness and acceptance in the workplace can lead to isolation.'
The interns experience three different roles by the end of the 12-month programme at Queen Mary's, the first London university to run the 'workplace immersion' programme. They are working in the university's café, the post room, campus shops, reception desk and with the teams of porters and residential cleaners.
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