Individual Spotlight: Marc
Maria contacted the Surrey Choices EmployAbility team in 2017 whilst attending The Larches Activity Centre in Epsom as she wanted to maintain the relationships she has built at Surrey Choices whilst gaining support into work.
Roots Cafe
Through the assistance of an Employment Support Specialist from our EmployAbility team, Maria firstly secured a voluntary role at Roots Cafe in Epsom which is run by the Methodist Church. The cafe is very popular with all age groups from mums and young children visiting daily, to those looking for a place to meet friends in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Maria’s tasks at the Cafe included clearing tables, following kitchen hygiene, preparing and delivering customers orders ranging from hot and cold refreshments, and on top of all of this delivering a friendly customer service at all times. This work experience really helped Maria in a number of ways such as understanding responsibilities in a working environment, learning about kitchen and food hygiene, and building on Maria’s social interactions due to her customer-faced role.
Next step, paid work!
Maria’s journey didn’t stop at the Cafe! She felt confident enough to apply for a paid position at her local Co-op with the help of her Employment Support Specialist. To everyones delight, she was successful in gaining her first paid job! Maria now works across various areas of the store including frozen goods and the bakery section, always delivering excellent customer service skills and is more than happy to be flexible with her hours to suit the needs of the business.
Maria has come on by leaps and bounds, enjoying a full and happy lifestyle with many choices, new experiences and a paid job to top it all off! She continues to remain a busy, sociable and hard working young lady. She still enjoys spending time at The Larches Activity Centre, as well as going swimming and attending dancing sessions at the Rainbow Centre.
Surrey Choices EmployAbility support people with disabilities or additional needs to find and sustain work. For further information on Surrey Choices EmployAbility team and how they could support you into work please contact: 01483 806806 or email info@surreychoices.com
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