21-year-old Grace McCaffley recently graduated from her 12-week placement at HELL Petone as the 200th trainee to come through the Active in HELL (AiH) programme.
AiH is supported by Choices NZ and teaches young adults with intellectual disabilities the practical skills required to thrive in a commercial kitchen, as well as the independence of having a job and responsibility of working as part of a team.
The first AiH trainee graduated in 2013 and, during its course, the award-winning programme has opened the doors for young New Zealanders through the can-do attitudes and collaborative efforts of Choices NZ Facilitators and HELL franchisees throughout the country.
“I loved it at HELL!” said Grace. “On my last shift, I told them I wanted to be stapled to the wall because I didn’t want to leave!
“It the first time I’ve been paid for work, which felt great. It made me really happy to help my mum out with food shopping and stuff like that. It also gave me new independence and confidence.”
Grace’s Choices NZ Coordinator Angela Christoffersen said AiH has played a key role in Grace’s development.
“Her confidence has improved hugely, especially in relation to those in positions of power at work. By the end of her training, when she finished a task, she’d feel very comfortable in asking for a new one instead of just standing around waiting for the next instruction.
“Confidence in front of employers is huge, especially as she starts to interview for positions in the future.”
“The goal of AiH has always been to help circumvent the Catch-22 situation that many job seekers find themselves in,” explained Choices NZ’s Active in HELL National Coordinator Krissy Gain.
“Many of our trainees can’t get a job because they don’t have experience – but they can’t get the experience they need because not very many employers are willing or able to give it to them.
“Thanks to AiH, our trainees now have the experience and a reference to provide to prospective employers. AiH is also instrumental in helping our trainees to improve their self-esteem and confidence, be more independent and learn how to take responsibility.
“AiH also helps a lot of trainees to advocate for themselves, which is a crucial skill to learn as they enter the job market. At the start of training, they might not feel comfortable asking for clarification or for instructions to be repeated but, by the end of it, most trainees will speak up for themselves and ask questions.”
Petone store franchisee Pritesh Patel said employing an AiH trainee is a mutually beneficial experience.
“We teach our trainees all the skills they need to be successful in the role, and they enrich the experience of our own team. It helps us become better trainers and bosses because we’re more aware that people don’t always learn the same way, and our team gets used to working with people who have different personalities.”