Matty's journey from supported internship to securing permanent job
“I’m really happy that people with learning disabilities can have jobs in places like a hotel. Even if it’s part-time or full-time, having a job is something to be proud of and everyone deserves that opportunity.”
Those are the proud words of Matty Collins, who became the first person to secure local employment through a training scheme designed for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Matty completed one-year Supported Internship with Premier Inn and Wirral Met College. During his training, he was immediately exposed to the pace, expectations, and unpredictability of a hospitality environment — but he rose to the challenge.
Rather than seeing it as training, Matty approached the course as though he was already employed. That mindset helped him develop a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility early on.
By the end of his final year, his hard work and development were recognised in remarkable fashion by securing employment with Premier Inn, but he also scooped Supported Intern of the Year at the Further Education Awards.
A year before I left college, I was one of those students who wasn’t in much and I was really worried about my future, because everyone kept saying I wouldn’t manage. Then I started the training and I just kept going. I got there in the end. Now I’ve got a job, I’m working, and I’m proud of myself.
The training was totally different to college because it was in a real Premier Inn. Some days were really fun and easy and some days were really hard, but that’s what made it feel real.
When I was training, I treated it like I was already working there and that I had to get everything done properly, and I think that’s what helped me achieve my goals.
In July 2025, Wirral Met’s in-house training facility - developed through a partnership between The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Whitbread (parent company of Premier Inn), and Wirral Met College - opened at the Conway Park Campus. It forms part of the Council’s wider programme to expand supported internships and improve SEND employment pathways.
The training facility is a mini-version of an actual Premier Inn hotel - featuring three en-suite bedrooms, a reception desk, a corridor and a linen room - and offers students a safe, supportive space to build practical hospitality skills.
Not only is Matty now a fully-fledged Premier Inn team member, but he shares his experience with the next cohort of students during placement days at his hotel. He serves as visible proof of how supported internships can lead to real, sustained employment.
Matty regularly checks in with students during shifts, particularly when they feel overwhelmed, sharing tips and drawing on his own experiences to support them. He provides immediate peer-to-peer encouragement, often stepping in during moments of stress to reassure students and help them refocus.
Now when new students come in, I can help them because I’ve been in that position. When they’re stressed, I just tell them it’s okay and to keep going. It’s good to be able to support them because I know what it feels like, and I hope more people from the course get jobs too.
I’m really happy that people with learning disabilities can have jobs in places like hotel. Even if it’s part-time or full-time, having a job is something to be proud of and everyone deserves that opportunity.
Matty received crucial support from Denise O’Neill, a job coach at Wirral Met, at the beginning of his journey. She pushed him outside his comfort zone at key moments, helping him adjust to tasks he initially found difficult while building his confidence and self-belief.
Now, Matty can clean up to 18 rooms per shift and has recently started training in breakfast and front-of-house roles to broaden his skills. He harbours ambitions of promotion, having impressed colleagues.
At the start I needed support, and I had a job coach helping me, but over time you start doing more on your own. At first, I thought I was too slow and I wasn’t going to manage it, but then I kept practising and my numbers went up and up.
I’m not just staying where I am - I’m training on breakfast now and learning new things, so I can move on when a job comes up. In the future, I’d like to be head of housekeeping or lead a team, because people have said they see bigger things for me, and that makes me want to do more.
