Community giver taking skills

GAINING EXPERIENCE: Serving customers at the Wairarapa Resource Centre is helping Steff Watts, 19, come out of her shell. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

There was a time when Steff Watts covered her face with her lovely long hair in shyness.

After working alongside staff at the Wairarapa Resource Centre for the past couple of months, the 19-year-old is ready for full-time employment; much of her shyness now behind her.

Steff is a community giver; she volunteers one day a week at the King St second-hand shop, serving customers and stocking shelves and also gives two days a week at the SPCA, caring for animals and does a bit of archiving of road safety stories.

She hopes to eventually gain a job working with animals. All her spare time is spent walking her goats.

It's the experience she is gaining in the shop which was helping prepare her for a job, she said.

"It's really bringing me out of my shell. I do want to work with animals but the experience I'm getting here will help me in any job. The people are really nice."

Resource centre co-ordinator Trudie Jones said Steff came to the training centre through land-based training and was an asset to the store.

"She has gone from strength to strength. She was a young lady who wouldn't look you in the face when she first came here; she was so shy. But she has really found herself and now holds her head high."

Steff would be an asset to any employer, Mrs Jones said.

"I can count on her. She never lets me down.

"Always here on time and ready and willing to do what ever is asked of her ... she does the banking for us and she is great with people."

The centre helps train people for employment, including the long-term unemployed.

In the past year, the trust had placed 20 people into full-time jobs with "them all still employed," she said.

One of the young trainees, Andrew Ordish, who featured in the Times-Age last November is one of those who gained permanent work shortly after being profiled. They also have about 20 people on their books in training and looking for work now.

If you need help or experience or are looking for staff to fill vacancies ring Trudie Jones at the centre on (06) 377 2090.