Grace has always wanted to work in the hospitality sector.
“My mother was a chef so I grew up around that sector. It’s something I’ve always wanted to be involved in and working with Anita is giving me the skills and confidence to do that.”
Anita says Grace was the perfect candidate for the programme.
“Grace attends alternative education at Ngā Wānanga a Maui Potiki. Tūtaki has a lot to do with them. We offered the position to Grace as we thought she would be the perfect fit with her amazing attitude and work ethic.”
Tūtaki general manager Nelson Polotu says the initiative is aimed at helping Stratford’s youth in alternative education, who may not fit mainstream education and vocational pathways.
“This allows us to give rangatahi involved in alternate education the opportunity to gain work experience with support, and also to be paid for their work as well.”
The programme, running for 12 weeks, is funded by the Stratford Mayors’ Taskforce for Jobs. Nelson says he’s appreciative of the funding.
“We work with a lot of youth in the central district. We identified a collaboration like this would add more services to benefit young people. This partnership helps to share the workload and make the initiative more sustainable heading into the future.”
Stratford Mayor’s Taskforce For Jobs (MTFJ) co-ordinator, Samantha Vega says the skills developed over the 12 weeks will provide the best possible grounding for a young person when seeking future employment within an industry that’s currently struggling for staff.
“The best thing about this programme is that it brings three organisations together, each contributing to provide the best possible opportunity and outcome for our young people.
MTFJ has provided FloJo with financial assistance to create the programme. Tūtaki, an organisation that offers a range of social and pastoral care opportunities to young people, have come on board to help develop career pathways and provide mentoring support.
She says the initial placement with Grace will help Flo-Jo, Tūtaki and MTFJ determine the appropriate programme outline what works well and what’s required to get the best outcome for participants.
“It’s also an opportunity to gauge interest from the wider community and see if there are other young people who’d be interested in this journey. We’d love to see it continue, so if you or someone you know is interested in learning more, don’t hesitate to get in touch,” says Samantha.
The coffee cart is located outside of Tūtaki, and is open Monday-Friday 7.30am-1.30pm.
