Fife charity’s new internship to get blind and partially sighted people get on to the career ladder

Seescape, formerly Fife Society for the Blind, will offer a nine-month paid placement that will boost workplace skills and experience for people who have struggled to find work due to sight loss. It forms part of the national Get Set Progress internship programme set up by the Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT).

The scheme will give a blind or partially sighted person an invaluable opportunity to enter the job market and will mean that a quarter of Seescape’s staff will have visual impairments. Currently, only one in four people who are registered blind in Scotland are in employment.

Seescape is delivering the programme in Fife with support from TPT and RNIB. It provides paid internship opportunities for blind and partially sighted people who are starting out on their career or returning to work following a career break. These fixed-term, paid roles enable people to gain skills and experience that can be applied to future jobs.

Seescape helps those with sight loss live more independently and provides a range of services including rehabilitation, advice, and technology demonstrations. It also offers social opportunities to those with visual impairments across Fife, as well as community-based assessments, home visits, and drop-ins at its visual impairment hub in Glenrothes to give information on the latest support and technologies available.

In the past year, the charity has modernised and expanded, with a new hub opening in Glenrothes and a renewed focus on accessible technology and supporting people experiencing loneliness or isolation because of sight loss.

The intern will gain first-hand experience of supporting others with sight loss, including supporting clients in their homes, working with volunteers and developing administrative and IT skills. The closing date for the position is Tuesday, December 5. To apply, visit https://www.seescape.org.uk/jobs/

Lesley Carcary, chief executive of Seescape, said: “We are incredibly pleased to be able to offer this paid work experience to someone who has a visual impairment and who has found it difficult to get the skills and experience they need to build a career.

“This will be an important first step on the career ladder and will be of huge benefit to the people we support too. The intern will help us do more for our clients, help bring down our waiting lists and show every day that people with visual impairments have so much to contribute.

“We are looking for someone with an interest in the role, the right positive attitude and willingness to learn. We understand that some candidates might have limited work or volunteer experience – but we encourage anyone with an interest in this role to call for a chat or apply.

“We are really grateful to our funders for making this possible and we look forward to meeting candidates.”