Whitbread PLC: supporting young people with SEN

Whitbread PLC: supporting young people with SEN

About Whitbread PLC

Whitbread is a hospitality expert and the owner of hotel brand Premier Inn. It operates over 850 hotels across the UK and Germany. 

The challenge 

With the Thrive programme, Whitbread have given themselves the mission to create meaningful work opportunities for young people with learning disabilities and autism, based on the students’ individual needs. 

The project 

The Whitbread Thrive Programme supports young people with special educational needs from Derwen College (Oswestry) and Hereward College (Coventry) to move into paid employment with Premier Inn. 

Through their decade-long partnerships with the colleges, Whitbread have built mini-Premier Inn hotels on each college site as training facilities. The replicas include 3 bedrooms, a reception and a housekeeping room which are identical to the real hotels in every way, down to the cups and linen. This simulated setting allows the students to learn skills such as changing beds, vacuuming a room and using a washing machine, the Premier Inn way, all in a safe environment. 

The students can then move on to direct paid employment with Premier Inn if they feel ready, or to work experience at a local site followed by a supported internship in partnership with the colleges. A job coach, supported by the Hotel Manager, ensures they are learning skills to move towards employment at the pace that is right for them, making the internship tailored to them. 

To ensure the safety and comfort of everyone involved, Whitbread mandates significant training for the hotel teams before students start on their site. This includes face-to-face safeguarding training, led by the college team, for all who will be in contact with the intern, and a day-long training course for Hotel Managers about autism.  

Upon completion of the supported internship, there is a guaranteed offer of paid employment for every intern. This is regardless of what vacancies may or may not be available. 

The result 

Over the last 10 years, 50 individuals have joined the Thrive programme. 95% of all supported interns are still employed with Premier Inn, some for over 5 years. 

Going forward 

Whitbread has recently announced an expansion to the scheme, and is committed to having 100 supported interns per year in Premier Inns. They are currently looking to develop partnerships with additional colleges across the UK. 

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