Nadia Steedman: Front-Line Training chief operations officer on the launch of the 'Mini Woolies' supermarkets

Two new Woolworths stores have opened in the South Island, but you can't get the weekly shop done there. 

The educational facilities in Dunedin and Invercargill are giving young people with disabilities training for jobs in a supermarket environment, creating 'launchpads' for future employment.

Front-Line Training chief operations officer Nadia Steedman says this will allow people to work in a space that suits their individual needs.

"With that, we have a direct connection with the local Woolworths stores, where work experience will eventually be available - as well as putting them in the limelight, with the potential for them to become employed."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Two new Woolworth stores have opened in the South Island,
but you won't be shopping there. They called mini Woolies
and they are practiced supermarkets where people with intellectual disabilities
can learn skills like stocking the shelves and scanning the items.
The idea is to help them build confidence before they
can move into a job at a real Woolworth store.
The new sites are in Dunedin and Invcago, first of

(00:21):
their kind of New Zealand outside of special education schools.
So Nadia Stebman is the operations manager for Frontline Consultancy
and Invcago and they've just got one of the many
Woolies and she joins me. Now, hello, Nadia, Oh Ceder Andrew,
how good is this idea? And who came up with it?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Okay, So one night when I was sitting there watching
seven sharp, I came up with the idea that we
need to get this in the South and Regent and
I made contact with Australia Woolworths and here we are.
We've just launched last Friday.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
All right, we can't actually really shop there. Came with
it's a practice shop.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Absolutely it is. But with that, Andrew, there's some really
good connections that happen with the process. So what people
are able to do is working it in a space
that suits them and their individual needs. It could be
a five year old, it could be a eighty year
old that's looking at a different direction of employment or confidence.

(01:20):
With that, we have a direct connection with the local
Woolworst stores where work experience will eventually be available, as
well as putting them in the limelight and with the
potential for them to become employed.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
Do they automatically get a job at warl Worse or
are they going to have to apply and there'll be
a competition.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
I think that would be part of the will Worst's
procedure to still go through their due diligence to make
sure that they were employing somebody that met their needs.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
Okay, why in Southwold.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, there's nothing better than being the most southern in
the hemisphere and that gave us the opportunity. Also within
our Southland region we do have some groups cohorts sorry
that aren't being catered for and this in particular is
a great way for us to support them in a
education space.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
And where does it start. It's already started.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
And it has already started. So we launched on Friday.
And the great thing about it, Andrews, it's a launch
pad for new opportunities. It's a space that bridges education,
employment like no other. So what the process is going
forward is individuals that are interested can make contact with
us or one of the other eight stores throughout New Zealand,

(02:43):
and what we can do is design programs or sessions
that suit them in the needs of the people that
are interested.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Well, it sounds great. Wish all the kids, I know
though you said from five to eighty, So just wish
the people just all the best of fun and enjoy
doing this up and learning the new schools. I thank
you so much for Jorindy yesterday, as Nadia Stevemen For
more

Speaker 2 (03:05):
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