Line Manager: Alan Tilley (Director)
Pathways Programme: Pathways to Charity and Development (Hosting interns in 2025 and 2026)
Summary of Organisation: Turning Heads was set up in 2018 as a community interest company with an overarching aim to improve the opportunities for adults with additional needs Post-19 and create employment options. Since then, Turning Heads have diversified what we do and become very much rooted in the community, delivering a variety of services and opportunities.
We have grown as an organisation and react to the needs of the community and the local area – we look at what is missing and locally and try to see if we can fill that gap. We work with people and organisations across Torbay. This includes families, children, people with learning disabilities, those who are furthest from employment and education and those who might be isolated or vulnerable.
How did hosting an intern via the Professional Pathways programme benefit you and your organisation?
“Hosting interns this year has meant that we now have a detailed professional impact report about our services that we can use for both promotional and also procurement purposes. This work that is done and that has been done by previous interns is really important for our organisation to self-evaluate and move forward.”
How was your experience of hosting a Pathways intern?
“The experience has always been positive – this year it was even better and we had 2 interns who made an impact on us from day 1. I am always impressed by how good the students are, how capable they are and how professional but this year the students were absolutely A grade!”
Given the Professional Pathways internship is 35 hours in total, how would you recommend ensuring both you and your interns gain as much as possible from the experience?
“I think we achieved what we wanted to because we had a clear aim from the start and a plan of action. This plan was worked together in collaboration and also the interns were able to plan and prepare before the week started.”
Why would you recommend hosting an intern via Professional Pathways?
“It gives us an organisation a chance to let fresh eyes pick out what we do and what impact we make but also by using young, intelligent talent they can just do things quicker and are able to grab data from here and there and put a report together considerably quicker than I am capable off. Plus they are 100% enthusiastic, are aware of how to use new technology and are totally independent. It helps us, makes us a better business and provides us with feedback and criticism that we can use to move forward. I personally think it is a very valuable resource that can be tapped into!”