For those with learning disabilities, school can be a tough place to flourish. Luckily for them, an academy in Somerset, England has opened a school which caters to those who were born with developmental difficulties. Foxes Academy is not just any school, but a training location for those with special needs to break into the hospitality industry.
This hotel in Somerset, U.K. is a real hotel, that doubles as a training facility for teens and young adults with mild to severe special needs. The hotel provides accommodations to allow students more independence while they are participating in the training process. It is estimated that only 6.4% of individuals with learning disabilities are able to attain a paying job after high-school. With the youngest student being just 16 years old, this training academy sets these individuals up for life in a real-world setting.
The academy has endless benefits as it socializes the students by letting them live together and make friends in the process. They are given quite a bit of freedom and independence which further boosts their confidence for life in the working world.
In order to attend the school, it is a highly competitive applying process as up to 86% of graduating students are able to find employment. Each student gets trained in different departments of the hotel industry so that they are prepared for any kind of job. To make sure these students have the best experience at Foxes Academy, staff and therapists integrate a different method of training for each student’s special needs.
The academy provides a stepping stone for the young adults to assimilate into society and independence. It is important that they see themselves as individuals and not defined by their disability. The need for these kind of facilities is extremely important as it acts as a vehicle to properly prepare these young adults for a life in the working world.
