Mini-Premier Inn Hotel at Wirral Met to help young people with SEND get ready for employment

Supported InternshipsEducation Employment TraniningFurther EducationSEND SupportSEND Improvement

8 Jul

Two young men and one young woman are standing next to two armchairs with young people sitting in them. They are all wearing Premier Inn uniforms. Purple polo shirts and black trousers.

With a reception desk, bedrooms, laundry and staff areas, the mini hotel looks just like a real Premier Inn!

This training facility will help students with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) learn the skills they need to work in the hospitality industry. The students will complete a pre-internship programme in the mini hotel. This will give them the confidence and skills they need to undertake a supported internship in a local Premier Inn property. Following their internship, they will then have the opportunity to work for Whitbread.

The mini-hotel opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday 2 July. Steve Rotheram, the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region attended the launch. Along with Simon Ewins, Managing Director of Premier Inn UK Hotels & Restaurants. Proudly wearing their Premier Inn uniforms, students from Wirral Met gave guests tours of the mini hotel.

“This project is a shining example of what can be achieved when education, business, and the local authority come together with a shared purpose. I’m incredibly proud to see Wirral leading the way in creating meaningful opportunities for young people with SEND. As someone who works in the hospitality industry, I know how valuable these skills are—and I can’t wait to see these students thrive in their future careers.”

— Cllr Bennett, Chair of Children, Young People and Education Committee

Two men in grey suits are standing with two students wearing Premier Inn uniforms. They are in a hotel bedroom. — Cll Bennett with two Wirral Met students and Ste Bailey, Director for Specialist Provision and Support at Wirral Met

Currently, only 4.8% of people with learning difficulties are in paid employment. The mini-Premier Inn hotel is part of Wirral Council’s commitment to improving SEND services in the borough, including preparation for adulthood. The Council aims to increase the number of supported internships available for young people by 2026 .

The mini hotel is part of Whitbread's national Thrive programme. Wirral Council was able to support the wider Thrive project with funding from The National Development Team for Inclusion, as part of the Internships Work Programme. Thrive aims to create 100 supported internships for young people with SEND a year in the hospitality industry. With the mini hotels providing a safe and supportive training environment.

The council worked up a model for the hotel with Wirral Met and Premier Inn. Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, then got to work making Wirral’s mini hotel a reality.

Up to 36 young people with SEND from across the Liverpool City Region will take part in a life-changing pre-supported internship programme at the mini hotel each year. Right here in Wirral. Taking steps to bring SEND into the mainstream. Plus, building more enriching and inclusive workplaces in the region.