FLINTSHIRE students were visited by a Welsh Government Deputy Minister as part of their Independent Living Skills Programme with Asda.

Hannah Blythyn, Deputy Minister for Social Partnerships visited Asda Queensferry to meet the five Coleg Cambria Northop students, who are in full-time work placements with the retailer, in a scheme in partnership with charity DFN Project SEARCH.

DFN Project SEARCH aims to support 10,000 young adults with a learning disability, or autism spectrum condition (or both) into paid employment by 2030.

As part of the visit, the Deputy Minister had an informal Q&A session with the students, store manager and Asda Community Champion to find out more about the scheme and the impact it has had on the students as well as other colleagues and customers.

Coleg Cambria Independent Living Skills Programme students, and MS Hannah Blythyn, during their visit to Asda Queensferry.

Coleg Cambria Independent Living Skills Programme students, and MS Hannah Blythyn, during their visit to Asda Queensferry.

The students, who are all from Queensferry and the surrounding area, then had the opportunity to walk the shop floor with the Deputy Minister to take her through their day-to-day responsibilities.

All five students have been working in the store since October 2023 and within the next year they will have the chance to try a variety of roles - working on the shop floor, in the warehouse, in customer service and other retail roles - with a chance to progress and learn new skills.

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Commenting on the students' progress, Asda Queensferry store manager, Adele Quinn said: "It's been brilliant watching all of our students grow in confidence in their initial few months of the partnership and take on new challenges each and every week.

"They're already a valuable asset to the team and it was great to share their great work and the benefits of the program with the Deputy Minister."

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Miss Blythyn, MS for Delyn, added: "We are committed to improving work experience and outcomes for disabled people in Wales. It has been good to see first hand how Asda are supporting people with a learning disability through this internship scheme.

"Projects such as this provide valuable support to individuals whilst enabling employers to experience the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our Retail Action Plan calls for the sector to champion workforce equality, diversity and inclusion at all levels."

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Asda Queensferry is the first store in the retailer's estate to join the internship scheme and will take on a group of eight learners every year to support Coleg Cambria Northop's ILS (Independent Living Skills) programme and further strengthen its position as a diverse and inclusive employer.

Should the pilot scheme be deemed a success following the trial period, Asda hopes to be able to rollout this programme in other stores across its estate.

• For more news and information from Coleg Cambria, visit www.cambria.ac.uk. Visit www.dfnprojectsearch.org for more from DFN Project SEARCH.