Well, after all my reminiscing in last week’s blog, I promise to keep it a little shorter this time – which fits in nicely with the four day week that the students have had!
This week we have had a very excited group of students up on the Future Finders floor as they have been told about our annual residential visit to Salou in Spain. Letters should have arrived home and deposits and reply slips are due in the week after half term please. It promises to be another fantastic week in the sun – my job is very hard sometimes!
This week’s ‘Worker of the Week’ Award also goes to one of our Future Finder students, Humayun, who has been working at First Choice Homes as a customer service assistant and ‘meeter and greeter’ within their reception area. I went over to see Humayun with some visitors earlier this week and he looked so smart in his uniform and was providing IT support to a customer looking to bid for a house. Humayun has also been utilised this week to translate for one of the customers – well done, Humayan!
Now this week, we have not one but two ‘Day in the life of….’ features! First over to Brittany, who is based on our Bridging the Gap course at The Royal Oldham Hospital..
A day in the life of Brittany
Shop Assistant at ‘SHOP @ The Royal’ ROH
I arrive at the classroom around 8.30am each morning after being dropped off before starting my placement at 9am. I have to wear a clean uniform and my ID badge so that staff and the public know who I am. When I get to the shop I say good morning to the staff and ask Tracy or Riz what jobs they would like me to do. If the drinks need filling up, the first thing I get is my trolley..
I go into the stockroom using a four digit code to enter then fill my trolley up with stock. When I’m lifting heavy bottles I lift them carefully like I was shown when I did my manual handling training. New drinks have to go at the back and cool ones to the front. My trolley has to be kept in a safe place when I’m working so that the customers don’t hurt themselves on it. When I have finished with cardboard boxes I have to flatten them and put them in a pile at the back of the shop. I put the used plastic in the bin so that customers don’t slip on it..
I do a variety of jobs on my placement, these include filling up drinks, crisps, chocolate, sweets, cakes and snack foods like pot noodles and cup a soup..
This week for the first time I got the opportunity to work on the till. Karen, one of the staff, has been training me. I enjoyed it and I hope to start going on more after half term..
When filling up the crisps it is important to put the new crisps at the back and the old ones at the front – this is called stock rotation. If I didn’t do this properly the crisps would go out of date and the shop staff wouldn’t be very pleased with me. We also have to do this with the chocolate..
Boxes are very bulky so when I put them on the trolley I have to make sure I don’t stack them too high – I need to be able see what’s in front of me when I am pushing the trolley around the shop..
At 10.45am I finish my morning placement. I have a short break then return to the classroom to do my Asdan work until dinnertime. In the afternoon I go back on my placement in the shop at 1pm and then return to the classroom at 2.30pm to fill in my diary or do some more Asdan work before leaving to go home at 3pm.
I am enjoying my placement in the shop. I find the jobs straightforward and simple. My job coaches Amanda and Alison spend time teaching me all the different jobs and when I feel confident to work alone they leave me for short periods of time until I can work independently.
The staff in the shop are all helpful, friendly and easy to talk to. Karen, one of the ladies, is really funny and makes me laugh.
Secondly, we go over to the ever-so-posh David Lloyd Gym to hear what Abu has been getting up to..
A day in the life of Abu
Restaurant Assistant – David Lloyd Manchester North
When I arrive I put my belongings in the staff room and then go and meet the team to start work at 9.30am. I must check that all the tables and menus are wiped down and cleaned..
I need to keep on top of the dishes and cutlery so that we don’t run out as it gets very busy at lunch time!
I serve the customers their food and drinks and I always say, ‘Enjoy your meal.’
I then wait for a few minutes before I go back and check with the customer, ‘Is everything okay with your meal?’ Once they say ‘Yes’, I then take away the table number..
As each customer is leaving, I thank them and wish them a nice day. I then clean the table down and re-set it ready for the next customer.
Last week we promised you news of how the Digit4ll students fared on their Dragons’ Den presentation as part of their work with Young Enterprise – you can now see for yourselves here!
They have been equally busy this week with a day at the Trafford Centre Trading Fair where they not only promoted their own enterprise, UnITe, but also filmed the event as part of the work they have been commissioned to do by Young Enterprise. Find out more about their very productive day here!
Finally this week, some exciting news! This week we have found a fantastic building for our new post-19 college opening in September. This building will also be the new home for our Pre-Internship students! More details to follow when we have signed on the dotted line, but you won’t be disappointed! There are also rumours of us opening up a town centre shop and a town centre café in the not too distant future…but I couldn’t possibly comment on that or Mr Quinn will be having stern words with me!
Have a wonderful half term! We look forward to welcoming you all back on Monday 19th February.
Daniel
Director of Employment & Co Head of Site at Medtia Square
You can view our previous blog entries here
Click here for this week’s news from Graham
