Employ My Ability

09/02/2026

The Red Lion, Poole Supported Internship Drop-In Sessions

🗓Monday 9th March
🕚10am-2pm
📍The Red Lion, 294 Blandford Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4JQ

📣The Red Lion is officially joining our list of venues hosting EMA Supported Internships with Greene King this September.

We will be holding a free event on Monday 9th March where you can drop-in to find out more about Supported Internships in a relaxed session to chat, ask questions, and discover more about working in the Hospitality Industry.

Parents, carers, young people, and SEND professionals are welcome to come and meet with staff from EMA, and The Red Lion to learn how these placements can help develop skills in an industry setting with a national employer, at your own pace, with support from a dedicated job coach.

These informal information sessions are free to attend, and if you’d like to stop by, please fill in the form on our website (link below)

🌳Supported Internships are designed for young people aged 16+ with SEND who need a little extra support to kick-start their careers. We look forward to meeting you! For any questions about these sessions, or info about our supported internships, please get in touch.

Attend our free drop-in event for EMA Supported Internships in partnership with Greene King, at The Red Lion, Poole, Dorset.

05/02/2026

✅Supporting sensory needs, and enhancing wellbeing.

The Gillingham campus has recently added new fidget boards, which are a brilliant way for our students to improve focus, develop their motor skills, encourage independence, and support self-regulation.

🗣“The students have all taken such a keen interest in the boards - they love the noisy parts! Everyone is very curious about the wide range of sensory tools. They enjoy sitting on the indoor grass in our sensory corner and exploring the many different elements - even the staff enjoy them too! They have been put together so well. We love them.” - Sarah, Tutor

These boards were built by David and Natalie from D A Cowperthwaite Interiors, and David shared a few words about the process involved in crafting them:

🗣“Most of our work focuses on room interiors and painting and decorating, so it’s interesting to do something a little different. Colour choice is an important aspect - there is a science behind how different colours make you feel, with greens being calming and reds more lively.

Decisions had to be made regarding the fidgets themselves, and we initially chose 16 per board, but once we started, we couldn’t stop and the number increased somewhat! Variety is key, as is safety, so there are no sharp edges, but plenty of elements that twist, spin, twang and make noise, etc. It was highly enjoyable and almost addictive making these for EMA, and we are very happy that you are pleased with the results.” - David

We’re so glad to see our students engaging with them. A huge thanks to David and Natalie once again for supplying them.

🌳Our Gillingham campus in North Dorset is a welcoming and inclusive environment designed to meet the needs of students with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and other special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). If you'd like to find out more, please get in touch for a tour, taster session, or initial chat.

02/02/2026

📣February events! Discover EMA and our diverse opportunities in Dorset for young people with SEND.

It's a busy month as we are hosting two events in Dorset to help young people with find their future, and for us to connect with the local communities.

🗓Tuesday 24th Feb - Find out more about Supported Internships - Wimborne
👨‍🍳 We're collaborating with The Coach and Horses Wimborne to offer supported internships from September. Kick-start a career in hospitality with the dedicated support of industry professionals.
✅ Parents, carers, young people and SEND professionals are welcome.

🗓Thursday 26th Feb - Drop-in to Discover EMA in Wareham
The local community is invited to learn all about EMA and what we do, as our students serve soup and refreshments at Not Just Sundaes Community Cafe Wareham.
✅ Community groups, local businesses, schools, parents, carers, young people and SEND professionals are welcome.

Both events are FREE to attend. More info and RSVP details are on our website (links below). We look forward to meeting you!

Dorset Council

30/01/2026

Notice (30th Jan): Both EMA campuses are open as normal today. Thank you.

28/01/2026

✅28th Jan UPDATE: Both Moreton and Gillingham sites are OPEN as normal today. Thank you!

🌧UPDATE: Thank you for your understanding and flexibility this morning following the difficult decision to close both our Moreton and Gillingham sites. We truly appreciate your patience as we continue to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff.

This afternoon, we carried out a further inspection of both sites to review conditions and staffing levels. As always, our key priority is ensuring we can operate safely with the appropriate staff in place to support students effectively.

Regarding tomorrow, we will assess the situation first thing in the morning and make a decision at the earliest possible opportunity. We kindly ask that you keep your phone available. If you do not hear from us, please assume we are open as normal.

Thank you again for your continued cooperation and support.

27/01/2026

🌧UPDATE: Thank you for your understanding and flexibility this morning following the difficult decision to close both our Moreton and Gillingham sites. We truly appreciate your patience as we continue to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff.

This afternoon, we carried out a further inspection of both sites to review conditions and staffing levels. As always, our key priority is ensuring we can operate safely with the appropriate staff in place to support students effectively.

Regarding tomorrow, we will assess the situation first thing in the morning and make a decision at the earliest possible opportunity. We kindly ask that you keep your phone available. If you do not hear from us, please assume we are open as normal.

Thank you again for your continued cooperation and support.

27/01/2026

⚠️NOTICE (Tues 27th January): Both the Moreton and Gillingham campuses are CLOSED today due to flooding in surrounding areas.

Unfortunately we are unable to operate as normal due to staff impacted by floods in Dorset. Please do not travel to college today.

We are in the process of contacting parents and carers, and college travel providers. Thank you.

26/01/2026

☕EMA Community Drop-In Session - Wareham

We invite you for soup and refreshments served by our students! Learn all about what we do and the opportunities we have for young people with SEND in Dorset, and how you can bring your community groups, workshops, residential home lunches and businesses meetings to our space in Wareham.

🗓Thursday 26th February
🕙10am-2:30pm
📍Not Just Sundaes, South St, Wareham BH20 4LU

FREE to attend. Community groups, local businesses, schools, parents and carers all welcome. Drop-in to discover EMA and how we can serve your community!

RSVP via: office@employmyability.org.uk

Not Just Sundaes Community Cafe Wareham

23/01/2026

👏Supported Internship progress at Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

This year, we have four interns on placement at Dorset County Hospital, completing Supported Internships in a variety of roles. The first half‑term was spent being introduced to teams, identifying suitable roles and completing inductions. All interns began work by mid‑November, and we’re pleased to share an update on their journeys so far!

🗣"I’m able to use my coffee-making skills from college in Gillingham here. I really enjoy giving patients their drinks and having chats with them. We talk about their life history and how they’re feeling. All the staff are amazing, and Mark is very helpful. If I have a problem, I know I can go to him to help get it sorted." - Yasmine, Intern at DCH

Yasmine, Asher, Elliot and Ryan have all been making an impact, applying existing skills and learning new ones. We’ve had excellent feedback from them and their Job Coach - you can read the full update on our website:

🔗https://employmyability.org.uk/checking-in-with-supported-internships-at-dorset-county-hospital/

20/01/2026

👏A little follow up from Seed2Plate - Dylan and George recently completed Level One of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, and today Lydia surprised them with the certificate! Another brilliant milestone in their year with the S2P programme at our Moreton campus.

🗣“The certificate shows that they have met the requirements for this stage of the RHS campaign, which we’ve integrated into Seed2Plate. They’ve demonstrated a clear understanding of the benefits of gardening and its connection to positive wellbeing. They’ve made their space accessible and of course, have begun the gardening itself - something they’ve actually been doing for quite some time.

Honestly, the work they’ve put in and the results we’ve seen from them more than surpass the requirements. They’re doing amazing.” - Lydia, Enterprise Co-ordinator

🗣“I’m feeling very good today. We’ve done well and worked hard to progress - I’m feeling proud, and giving myself a pat on the back.” – George

🗣“I’m very happy, and I couldn’t have done this without the amazing support of Lydia” - Dylan

🌱The Seed2Plate programme gives students the opportunity to get started in learning how to grow their own fruit and veg, along with enterprise projects like Dylan and George’s herb bunches - growing, marketing, and selling their produce. Before Christmas we shared how they recently sold all their bunches, and they're currently working on their next ideas for spring!

RHS - Royal Horticultural Society

15/01/2026

📣Supported Internship Drop-In Sessions - Coach & Horses, Wimborne

We’re excited to announce that The Coach and Horses Wimborne will officially be hosting EMA Supported Internships in partnership with Greene King this September.

We invite you to ‘find out more’ about Supported Internships in a relaxed session to chat, ask questions, meet our teams, and discover more about working in the Hospitality Industry.

We’d love to meet young people aged 16+ looking to take their next steps and share how these tailored placements at this fantastic venue can help equip you with the skills needed to start your career in hospitality.

We will be holding 2 drop-in events:

🗓Tuesday 24th February
🗓Thursday 19th March
🕚11am-2pm
📍Coach & Horses, Poole Road, Wimborne, Dorset. BH21 1QB

Parents, carers, young people, and SEND professionals are welcome to come and meet with staff from EMA, and The Coach & Horses to learn how these placements can help develop skills in an industry setting with a national employer, at your own pace, with support from a dedicated job coach.

These informal information sessions are free to attend, and if you’d like to stop by, please fill in the form on our website (link below)

🌳Supported Internships are designed for young people aged 16+ with SEND who need a little more support to kick-start their careers. We look forward to meeting you! For any questions about these sessions, or info about our supported internships, please get in touch.

EMA Supported Internships with Greene King at The Coach & Horses in Wimborne. Find out more at our drop-in sessions!

07/01/2026

✅Gillingham student achieves "massive goals" - John's journey!

We're kicking off 2026 by celebrating Gillingham student John's amazing progress lately - building confidence, communication skills, and independence through personalised, learner-centred support.

🥅With a structured and nurturing environment, John has grown from one-to-one learning to engaging confidently in group lessons - a huge achievement. From developing communication and positive social interaction, to building real-life employability skills such as budgeting, digital skills and independent living, John’s learning is meaningful and tailored to his goals.

🗣“We feel our son has progressed in his growth being at EMA. In his third year he has reached massive goals in communicating his feelings. Talking more while using visuals has been a life-changing experience for us as a family. The progress he has achieved while being at EMA has brought him alive, being happy due to the encouragement, support and kindness of all the staff” - Corrin, John's mum

🔗Visit our website to read the full story on John's progress since he started his journey with EMA, and how his tailored support helps enable him to achieve: https://employmyability.org.uk/gillingham-student-achieves-massive-goals-johns-journey/