HMRC Supported Internship Programme Expands Across the Civil Service

• For the first time young people on HMRC’s Supported Internship programme offered opportunities across civil service.
• New partnership with HM Courts and Tribunal Service means young people with special educational needs in Liverpool have access to wider workplace learning.
• HMRC Supported Internship programme provides young people with special educational needs workplace experience in Liverpool, Manchester and, from September, in Cardiff.

For the first time, young people with special educational needs (SEND) on HMRC’s Supported Internship programme will experience workplace opportunities across the civil service thanks to a new partnership with HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS).

The new partnership means five young people, who started their Supported Internship at HMRC’s offices in Liverpool in September 2025, are completing the final part of their 12-month work-based learning placement at HMCTS.

The programme provides young people with an opportunity to gain workplace skills, giving them valuable experience to put on their CV and build a structured pathway out of college and onto meaningful employment.

Tracy Etherson, HMRC’s Supported Internship Project Lead, said:

“These young people are an amazing asset to our workforce and deserve the same opportunities as their friends. Just 1 in 20 young people with SEND gain meaningful employment compared to 4 out of 5 of their peers. We want to change that. I’m very proud of their achievements.”

HMRC is the first government department to offer Supported Internships for young people with SEND and has been running programmes since February 2022.

In September 2023, students from Liverpool City College started their placements in HMRC’s India Buildings in Liverpool.

Exactly two years later, young people from Trafford and Stockport College joined colleagues in HMRC’s Manchester Regional Centre and, from this September, young people in Cardiff will join the Supported Internship programme thanks to a recently-signed partnership between HMRC and Cardiff and Vale College.

So far four young people have gained full-time permanent positions with HMRC while three more are on fixed-term temporary contracts. One young person is employed on a fixed-term contract with HMCTS.

Jane Wignall from HM Courts and Tribunal Service, said:

“Through our involvement in HMRC’s Supported Internship programme, HMCTS has seen first‑hand the real value these young people bring – contributing meaningfully to our teams while developing confidence, skills and routes into employment, and helping us build a more inclusive and welcoming workplace for all.”

Supported Interns are classed as college students, are unpaid and attend their placements during term time. They spend 80% of their placement on the job, learning alongside a job coach who is funded by the local authority and supported by a tutor provided by their local college, to help them understand their roles and refine their workplace skills.

Jason Waldron, Strategic Director of Education, City of Liverpool College, said:

“The City of Liverpool College is extremely proud to work alongside HMRC, thanks to its dynamic approach to providing employment opportunities to all our interns.”

Interns are supported by a workplace buddy within the HMRC or HMCTS team they are working alongside and trained to carry out Administrative Officer (AO) roles during their placements. In total, 24 young people have graduated from – or are currently on – HMRC’s Supported Internship programme.

To find out more about Supported Internships go to GOV.UK .