Kieran's story

Primary school (2005 – 2012)

Back in 2005 when I started school, I was just an average 5-year-old. Well behaved in class, trying hard in all my subjects, making new friends. This was all the things a normal 5-year-old would do.

This all continued to run smoothly at school doing really well, achieving key milestones in class up until year 5 (10 years old) My teacher went off on long term sick leave, and we had loads of various supply teachers. I couldn’t cope with all the change, this is when we realised there was something different about me, something unique.

I had to move classes to a class where I had a permanent teacher, somewhere I could have consistency and build a bond with this teacher. Lucky for me this teacher was the SENCO for the primary school and realised there was a possibility I could be on the Autism Spectrum.

She spoke to my parents and started the Autism assessments and got me into CAMHS where I got a full assessment 12 months later and was diagnosed with Autism.

I then got the support I needed and passed my SATS with flying colours.

Secondary school (2012 – 2017)

When I got to Secondary School, I didn’t have an EHCP and as I had a really good transition period and settled in so well for the first 2 years, we thought we were at the point where I may not need an EHCP.

Unfortunately, when I got to year 9 (14 years old) events took a turn for the worst.

That is when the bullying started in school and the intense pressure of building up for my GCSE’s, making the end of my school days an absolute nightmare, for me, my friends, and my family.

During this time is when I got my Anxiety and Depression diagnosis and had a sick note for 2 weeks off school to try and get back on the right track, this is also when I started taking my medication. By this time, my Anxiety was so high that the medication didn’t really kick in for 2 years until I left school and could make a fresh start.

During my last 3 years at Secondary School was when I started going missing from home, having violent outbursts, isolating myself in my bedroom as I didn’t want to go out and face anyone. This all led to me getting supported by the police to get a social worker assessment because of low attendance at school and various other problems.

This also led to me having to go privately to get my EHCP and Psychology assessment. When I finally got my EHCP the school didn’t honour it and didn’t give me the support that I needed or that was required as seen in my EHCP.

College (2017 – 2018)

When I went to college in 2017 this is where things started to look up, I started to make friends, I passed my college course, and I didn’t have as many problems as I did in school.

The downside was that in April 2018 the CAMHS consultant took me off my medication and we were back to square one, back to going missing, violent outbursts and staying in my room.

I thought things couldn’t get any worse and felt I was back to how I was feeling in school, only this time I got hospitalised for self-harming. Which ended up with me being moved to a mental health unit in Stoke for 3 months through the summer holidays.

In the September 2018 and September 2019 this is when I tried to go back to college twice but couldn’t cope after what had happened even though I was back on my medication now. So, this resulted in me dropping out of my college course twice in 2 years and having a 2-year gap year instead.

I thought this was my education, my life, and my chances of working over, until I had the breakthrough in June 2020 after Covid.

The turning point

The Covid lockdown was the best thing that ever happened to me, it meant my family were at home all the time and I got time to rest and recover with them. I went on walks with the dog every day. This was the best I had felt since I was 14 years old in 2014. I didn’t remember ever feeling this well.

In June 2020 I got in touch with Early Help in Shropshire, who talked me through my education and career options and suggested I attend County Training and do 12 months there to work on my employability skills and functional skills English.

County training and the supported internship

In September 2020 I started in County Training, this is where I first met an employability officer from Enable, which turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. When I met the employability officer I was asked to go on a Supported Internship where I said I wanted a career in Business Administration. This is what got me into a career in Local Government and was the first job I thought I can see a future here.

I completed my Supported Internship with the Affordable Housing and Planning Policy Team at Shropshire Council. I also passed my functional skills English and Employability Skills, while also being the successful winner of the North Shropshire College Student of the Year.

Once I had completed my time at County Training and finished my Supported Internship, which was the best decision and opportunity that had ever been presented to me in my life, my line manager asked me what my next steps were. I thought well I am back to square one now, I am jobless and finished education again. I replied, “I don’t know, I will either have to look for a job or an apprenticeship” The next words that came out of my managers mouth were the best thing I had ever heard. He said, “I can look into you being able to do an apprenticeship here with this team” This was the best news I had ever received, and I said, “yes please I would love that, thank you so much.”

“County Training taught me that the right people can change everything but The Supported Internship taught me that I was capable of more than I ever believed”

The Apprenticeship

In February 2022, after my supported internship had let me prove myself and get an opportunity in the team I was with, I started my apprenticeship with Shropshire Council which was the best possible outcome following my Supported Internship. I undertook the Apprenticeship between February 2022 and December 2023.

I learnt so many new skills from my Supported Internship and knew how the team worked and everything this was the most confident I had ever felt going into education.

After a bumpy start with a few issues with the training provider etc. My Apprenticeship was well underway.

In December 2023 I sat my end point assessment which I felt went really well. I answered the questions confidently and proved myself from my portfolio what I was really made of. This was the most confident I had ever been coming out of an exam-based setting that I had at least got a pass.

In January 2024 I got my results, I got a certificate with distinction on it and a phone call from my training provider to congratulate me and tell me the good news.

I had also gone to night classes and resat my GCSE English while doing the apprenticeship, which I also passed with a grade 5.

Expert by Experience role at Enable

In April 2022 I had also joined Enable as an Expert by Experience working on the Supported Internship (SI) Grant Project, a project that meant so much to me and let me pave the way and improve the awareness of Supported Internships throughout Shropshire (I am still in this role as of February 2026)

The thing that motivates me with the SI grant project, and I enjoy the most, is that I know that this project will help people like me as I came to Shropshire Council as an SI. The thing that I feel happiest about is giving something back to the council, but most of all it's helping and changing someone’s life who is in the same position as I was a few years ago. If I could change the life of one person in Shropshire that would make me very happy. I also enjoy working with the people that I get to work with, and feel supported and valued in the team but also feel that my ideas are taken on board and implemented, which also makes me feel happy as it makes me feel I have contributed and helped to move the project forward. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the project has in store for me.

Tim Shrosbree, programme manager, says:

“Kieran joined the Office of the Chief Executive and has been applying what he learnt from his apprenticeship in many ways. Kieran is a key part of the team. He liaises with external partners to create joint meetings and proactively works with both internal and external teams to ensure that programmes are hitting agreed milestones. Kieran also undertakes specific pieces of research to support and progress projects. He could not have done this without building his skills and confidence through his apprenticeship”.

In February 2025 I got invited to speak at the National Supported Internship event hosted by the NDTI. This included me travelling to London to speak at the event. I then applied for the SEND Youth Parliament 2025, which saw me travel back to London in May 2025 to attend this event at Portcullis House.

The event was amazing and I learnt so much, I even got to speak to the MPs as part of the group and got to answer some of the questions.

Programme Management Office (PMO)

In February 2024 I had another little minor setback. My line manager offered me a 3 day a week contract with his team. I was so grateful that he wanted to keep me and would normally accept every opportunity that came my way. But this time I had to think of myself.

I told my line manager that it was a very generous offer and normally I would accept. But this time I felt it might not have been time to move on from the team, but it was time to take the next step in life and my career and ask for a 5 day a week so I could finally be on full time hours.

Unfortunately for multiple reasons, my current line manager couldn’t offer me this and I knew from this point on, it was time to move on and look for another role.

Luckily for me the Programme Management Office (PMO) at Shropshire Council were looking for a Project Support Officer, I reviewed the Job Description and Person Specification and thought I would be stupid not to go for this role.

By April 2024 I was having my induction into the PMO team where I developed my career even further, learning project management skills and learning even further administrative skills from my peers.

My plan was to do a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Project Management unfortunately this didn’t pan out how I expected and because I only had a 12-month Fixed Term contract, this unfortunately meant that I wouldn’t be able to do my Level 4 Apprenticeship in the near future.

This was a bit of a setback, but I decided I would stay in this role and see what the future holds after my 12 months were up.

Shropshire Telford and Wrekin Apprenticeship Awards 2024

While I was in the PMO I had the best news ever that I had been nominated for 2 apprenticeship awards for the apprenticeship I completed while in my previous team.

Of course I attend the awards ceremony in October 2024, I took my family and some of my colleagues old and new from Shropshire Council to the awards ceremony. It was an amazing night, and what made it even better was I won both of the awards. I was now the current winner of Apprentice of the Year for Business, Legal and Finance, and I was the winner of the Apprentice of the year for Shropshire.

These are probably 2 of my biggest achievements to date.

West Midlands Association of Directors for Adult Social Services (2025 – Present)

In April 2025 I had the news that my contract with the PMO was only going to be extended by 6 months until September 2025. This was great and I accepted it. But I knew that if I wanted to do my apprenticeship in the near future, unfortunately I had to consider moving again.

In June 2025 I had applied, interviewed and been successful in getting the role of Programme Support Officer at West Midlands Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (WMADASS) and I started my role in this team.

I am currently still in this role as of February 2026 and am thoroughly enjoying it, although I haven’t started my apprenticeship yet, I am still hopeful of doing this in the near future and developing my career even further and working my way up in WMADASS.

Words of Wisdom

• Supported internships are definitely worthwhile, that is what got me where I am today, and I would highly recommend them
• Never give up whenever life feels bad, keep trying and keep persevering with education and work, as it will reward you with something you really want to do
• There is nothing to be ashamed of in needing a break
• Finally, a wise man once said to me, work hard and you will get what you want in life. This is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life
• Belief and opportunity can change a life
• When young people are supported properly they thrive
• The Supported Internship gave me the chance to rewrite my future
• Your voice can change a life for the good, but bullying can ruin a life for years