Surrey Choices nationally recognised employment support service EmployAbility, helps to find work placements, volunteer opportunities and paid work for the people we support.
Joining Surrey Choices
Lucy first joined us through our Employment Works programme. The programme starts off with a matching process that will find a work placement that is suited to the young person’s needs, interest and skills. The aim of the programme is to experience teamwork in a working environment, build self-confidence and develop working skills.
Paid Employment
Lucy did her work placement in the catering hall at the University of Surrey, where she learnt valuable skills which helped her get a paid job at Sodexo in July 2015, a national catering company that does the catering for Nuffield hospitals in Woking and Guildford.
Recognition
The British Citizen Award honours individuals and organisations who are positively impacting society and those community heroes who may otherwise be overlooked. Just under 6,000 Sodexo employees have received a British Citizen Award in recognition of their efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic and one of those employee’s was Lucy.
She said that:
Receiving the award meant so much to me, it made me feel excited. The award made me and the rest of my family feel proud of my achievements. Lots of things have been going on with the pandemic but I enjoy my work and working in PPE. I can not wait to get back after my furlough
Lucy’s Mother has said that:
Sodexo is a great employer. they trained Lucy to wear and use her PPE to enable her to work safely during the pandemic
Impact
The impact of winning this award has been huge for Lucy. She is now more confident and eager to get back to work even in the middle of another lockdown. Being one of many employees to get this award it highlights a team effort that Lucy is a part of. She has been able to use and wear PPE just like her colleagues, contribute to her team just like her colleagues and make a difference in the community just like her colleagues.
Well done Lucy and congratulations!