GET SET PROGRESS INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME
Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) and RNIB are collaborating with organisations from both the sight loss and wider charity sector as well as corporate organisations to create new opportunities for blind and partially sighted people to find employment through the Get Set Progress Internship program. Sight for Wight is delighted to be offering an internship as part of the Get Set Progress scheme.
Our Values
We will develop inclusive partnerships by acting with integrity, instilling trust, being creative and being brave.
Our Mission
To meet the needs of people on the Isle of Wight living with and affected by sight loss.
Our Vision
A world in which people living with sight loss can access the services they need at local level where and when they need them.
Our Members
People with sight loss visiting and living on the Isle of Wight, their families, friends and support network.
THE BENEFITS
What are the benefits of a Get Set Progress internship for me? As part of your 9-month internship, you will be part of a large cohort of fellow interns and gain the following:
• Obtain valuable work experience within the charity sector.
• Technology support (Including Microsoft Office) and upskilling opportunities.
• Online and in-person Training and development opportunities
• Opportunity to present and network with Senior leaders within the Sight Loss Sector
• Opportunities to build relationships with fellow interns.
• A personal mentor offering support, advice and guidance throughout your internship.
• Help deliver positive changes for people with sight loss.
As part of the GSP Internship programme, you will also be enrolled on the TPT Works For Me Employment Programme, where you will gain bespoke employment support, guidance and advice from the TPT Employment Team, some of the skills that you will receive support and guidance around include:
• CV writing
• Job searching
• Cover letter and speculative letter writing
• Application form writing
• Interview techniques
• The Works for Me team will also continue to support you in securing valuable employment after your time on the GSP internship programme has ended.
Further as part of role within Sight for Wight over and above the skills directly associated with your role, you will gain bespoke skills related to the role to include:
• Professionally but empathetic handling of calls, emails and visitors.
• Referral process both internally and externally.
• The cost of producing services and ensuring they are beneficial.
• Working to your own deadlines and those of your team.
THE ROLE
Role: Accessibility and Administration intern
Department: organisation-wide
Reporting to: Chris Cane
Location: Newport, Isle of Wight
Salary: Based on £11.44 per hour
Contract type: Fixed Term 9 months, 28 hours per week
JOB SPECIFICATION
Job purpose: Overview of the role: The purpose of the role is threefold; firstly to provide accessibility support to our members to assist them in setting and using their own IT, offering solutions to individuals’ problems and staying up to date with current changes in technology.
Secondly to manage, in time, the whole Talking News production each week finding content, managing the recording process, and producing on each of our accessible outlets.
Thirdly to work with the reception to be fully engaged with all office administration to help ensure the needs of our members are met through an efficient and effective office. The variety of tasks is very varied and will offer the successful application a good grounding in all administrative skills. They include but are not restricted to:
• Check and action all tasks on the reception admin task list working with team members to ensure they are monitored and completed.
• Answer the phone, welcome visitors and problem-solve any issue a member comes to us with (with the help of others)
• Data entry into our database
• Spreadsheet work to maintain stock and talking news information, for example.
• Open, log and distribute post including talking books and Audio books.
• Log phone calls and visitors to Reception log.
• Take PDQ payments.
• Frank the post understanding the rules of articles for the blind.
• Monitor allocated email boxes.
• Shredding and handling confidential waste.
• Prepare rooms for Activities:
• Checking the calendar and getting rooms ready for activities
Finally, as with all staff, everyone is always on hand first and foremost for our members to offer help, support and empathy; our policy here at Sight for Wight is we never say No we find a solution. You will use your own living experience to help achieve this.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:
Accessibility
• Offer one-on-one and group training and support for our members to assist them in setting and using their own IT.
• Offer solutions to individuals’ problems by researching solutions.
• Stay up to date with current changes in technology.
• Attend other charities’ accessibility forums.
• Familiarisation with the Equalities Act and its impact Talking News
• Research weekly content for our talking news from local news from the three local newspapers
• Research local and national news for content that affects people living with Sight Loss.
• Research current Campaigns for news affecting people living with Sight Loss
• Compile the stories and allocate them to both studio and home-based recording volunteers.
• Record the articles read by volunteers in our recording studio.
• Edit recordings made by our home readers to studio sound quality.
• Collate all recordings into 2.5 – 3.0 hours of weekly news.
• Produce onto Alexa, YouTube and USB sticks as per each member’s individual specified needs.
• Work with volunteers to ensure that as much of this is completed by volunteer to reduce costs to the Charity whilst being managed to same professional consistent output.
Administration
To compete all administrative tasks set by the team in a timely manner ensuring the output meets the need.
General
We are here for our members and their immediate needs override everything therefore all staff:
• Answer the phone, welcome visitors and problem-solve any issue a member comes to us with (with the help of others)
• Contribute to our quarterly newsletter.
• Attend and contribute to team meetings.
• Attend staff meetings as they arise.
• Attend member and volunteer open days.
CRITERIA
Personal specification – Essential criteria:
• This post has a Genuine Occupational Requirement that the successful applicant be a person who is blind or partially sighted, in line with The Equality Act 2010
• Living experience of using sight loss equipment and technology
• Proven aptitude for using IT across a broad range of Android, Apple, Laptop, Macs, Tablets and smart phone.
• Empathy for people with Sight Loss
• Willingness to travel to the TPT Hub in London for intern development events throughout the course of the internship programme.
• Having not previously undertaken the Get Set Progress internship programme.
Personal specification – Desired Criteria:
• Experience using sound recording equipment.
YOUR APPLICATION
What to do next
To apply, please download the application form HERE, completing the word document, recording audio answers or any other method you are used to working with, braille is of course accepted. Please return by email if appropriate to ceo@iwsb.org.uk or by post to Sight for Wight Millbrooke House, 137 Carisbrooke Road NEWPORT Isle of Wight PO30 1DD for the attention of Lisa Hollyhead.
Closing date:
16th February 2024 with a view to starting as soon as available. The role is office in Newport on the Isle of Wight.
ABOUT SIGHT FOR WIGHT:
The Isle of Wight Society for the Blind is the oldest working charity on the Isle of Wight, celebrating 159 years this year. We updated the name to Sight for Wight in 2019, then in 2022 when we took on the Isle of Wight Sensory service contract, we added a second working name Wight Sense.
Supporting over 750 members directly and the wider VI community on the Isle of Wight of 6,600 people; we are here to help people to live safely, confidently and independently.
Led by our Deafblind CEO and our ten Trustees with a variety of living experience, we offer a wide variety of weekly activities and groups for our members, together with own audio library, weekly talking news, befriending service, Alexa skill and peer to peer support.
Thank you for your interest in this role.
