This follows a pilot scheme earlier in the year which arranged placements at Westminster for another two interns.
The internship programme is designed to provide a unique opportunity for young people whose career prospects are often otherwise blunted by their Inflammatory Bowel Disease -more commonly known as Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis. The aim of the scheme is to help young people with these chronic life-long conditions overcome employment barriers. To date, this new initiative has proved popular with both MPs and interns alike, providing the young people with significant career boosts.
Matthew - who has Crohn's Disease - was placed in Neil Findlay MSP's team (Lothian). Matthew commented on the amazing timing of his placement, saying:
Three years ago, if you had told me that I would be where I am today, I wouldn't have believed you. At that point I was sat in hospital, at the start of my second year of uni, about to go through surgery for a third time in just over a year.
I've seen the final stages of the referendum campaign, its aftermath, and the beginning of a leadership election. I couldn't have chosen a more exciting time if I had tried. That's not to say that I've only been watching!
From the first day of my internship Neil has kept me as involved as anyone else in the office, and that really has boosted my confidence. I've been able to write press releases, articles, motions, and even speeches that have been read in Parliament.
A pilot programme was successfully launched earlier this year, placing two candidates (Laura Harries and Tom Mytton) with MPs at Westminster (Chris Evans MP for Islwyn and Andrew Percy MP for Brigg and Goole). One candidate (Laura Harries, 22) is now employed as a Parliamentary Researcher.
There are an estimated 1 in 210 people living in the UK with IBD and more than 50% of new cases are diagnosed before their mid-twenties. The conditions can cause severe stomach pains, urgency for the toilet, relentless diarrhoea, extreme fatigue, nausea and loss of appetite. Symptoms fluctuate and periods of remission can be followed by acute 'flare ups'.
Sally Coughtrey, from the Vale of Glamorgan, is placed with Kirsty Williams AM (Brecon and Radnorshire). Ed Wilson, Deputy Chief of staff for Kirsty Williams said:
Sally has hit the ground running here in the Assembly and has fitted straight into the team. She hasn't been phased once with any of the varying tasks we've given her and she's coped brilliantly despite being thrown in at the deep end with hefty legislation to wade through! She's proven to be a great asset to our research team.
With a recent Crohn's & Colitis UK survey of pre-employed young people with IBD*, showing that the prospect of gaining their first job, was described by the worried respondents as a 'daunting challenge', employability emerged as their most overriding concern.
The report found that 69% of the young people interviewed felt that their IBD has prevented them from reaching their full educational potential, whilst over half have ruled out some career options.
The patient and carers' charity Crohn's & Colitis UK, working with an educational grant from Abbvie, the medical healthcare company, is running the Parliamentary Internship Programme in response to these findings.
Helen Terry, Director of Policy, Research and Public Affairs at Crohn's & Colitis UK explains:
This internship programme gives our young members an incredible career experience whilst also teaching politicians about the impact of IBD. The scheme aims to demonstrate that IBD needn't be a barrier to a successful career in any field, helping us to address a common and salient concern shared by many young people about their future employment.
