Ashwin was very excited for his first day at work. He arrived on time and with a very positive attitude. When we arrived in the store Ashwin introduced himself very politely to Yvette and complimented the shop stating he was very excited to work in a store.

We had a tour around and Ashwin was shown where to store his belongings. He learnt where the donated furniture comes in and had a look at the workshop where they fix pieces or furniture, so they are ready to go onto the shop floor. He stayed focused the whole time and remained eager to carry on. They then had a talk about staying safe and wearing correct PPE, Ashwin was given a pair of steel toe shoes. Ashwin understood that the shoes were for keeping safe.

A box of donations had been dropped off at the store earlier in the day and Ashwin was tasked with pricing and labelling the items to go onto the shop floor. He carefully chose different prices depending on the condition of the item. He learnt how to scan items into the system and how to create a label to be scanned at the till. He picked this up with ease and managed to price the whole box. Once the labels were on all items Ashwin chose the best places in the store to place them i.e. placing the cheese grater in the kitchen section and the t-shirts with the clothes.

Ashwin continued with this until the end of the day and stayed focused on picking the best prices. He was alert and eager to please. As we were getting ready to leave, Ashwin expressed how he was very excited to return for week 2.

Briant was very excited for his first day at work. He arrived on time and with a very positive attitude. As the store is local in Hulme, we decided to walk there about 20 minutes. Briant was excellent at keeping us safe when crossing the roads and made sure to safely look in all directions.

We had a tour around and Briant was shown where to store his belongings. He learnt where the donated furniture comes in and had a look at the workshop where they fix pieces or furniture, so they are ready to go onto the shop floor, which he was very interested in. He stayed focused the whole time and remained eager to carry on. They then had a talk about staying safe and wearing correct PPE, Ashwin was given a pair of steel toe shoes. Briant understood that the shoes were for keeping safe.

A box of donations had been dropped off at the store earlier in the day and Briant was tasked with pricing and labelling the items to go onto the shop floor. He carefully chose different prices depending on the condition of the item. He learnt how to scan items into the system and how to create a label to be scanned at the till. He picked this up with ease and managed to price the whole box. Once the labels were on all items Ashwin chose the best places in the store to place them i.e. placing the cheese grater in the kitchen section and the t-shirts with the clothes.

Briant continued with this until the end of the day and stayed focused on picking the best prices. He was alert and eager to please. As we were getting ready to leave, Briant expressed how he was very excited to return for week 2.

Angelina arrived at the Powerhouse and was greeted by Troy who explained what was going on today and the type of tasks that she would be doing during her placement. Angelina was very attentive to the instructions provided and acted upon them to a good standard.

He spoke to her about people arriving at reception and the importance of them signing in and out. He also showed her what key to use if someone needed lift access. Angelina communicated very well with him and understood what was explained, she asked questions and was confident in doing so. By doing this, Angelina demonstrated good work ethic and showed a good level of initiative.

Angelina helped to blow some balloons up for a party that was arranged for the volunteers and took the opportunity to make a phone call and let the career connections know their package had arrived. Angelina said she enjoyed her first day and that everyone was friendly, and she is looking forward to going back next week. Over the next few weeks, if Angelina continues to this standard which is expected in a working environment, she will gain various skills that she can carry on with her into future work placements.