Rob who lives at one of New Directions’ supported living flats has been working at a brand new local discount store for sixteen hours a week since April 2017. He previously worked at a large supermarket, where he was trained to work on the checkout. He likes to get out of the flat, walks 20 minutes to get to work and looks forward to chatting to customers.
Rob said “I work four days a week and that includes five hours on a Saturday when it’s busy. I know how to take card payments, but have now learned how to do contactless ones, which is a good skill to have. Before the shop opened in May I was stocking shelves, but now I am enjoying making new friends and meeting people on the checkout because they remember me. It’s also nice to earn a few pennies because it pays the bills and I can take my girlfriend out for a special meal. I have had a four-week review and I got six and a half out of seven. I look forward to going to work and it has made me more confident in myself.”