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A guide to Work Based Training and Social Enterprise in Essex

Mid Essex

Our services across Essex

South Essex

North EssexWest Essex

Contents

Overview of Work Based Training............................................The role of Linked Employment...............................................Oakwood Packaging.................................................................Oakwood Plough Corner..........................................................Treetops.....................................................................................Red House.................................................................................Book Rest Café Clacton and Colchester .................................Roundwood Garden Centre and Café.....................................Greenacre.................................................................................Strawberry Fields.......................................................................Barley Twist...............................................................................Copy Cats 2...............................................................................Book Rest Café Brentwood and Basildon................................Café Goodman..........................................................................Copy Cats..................................................................................Noah’s Café .............................................................................A Glossary of Essex Cares Services..........................................Pricing Information....................................................................

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Overview of Work Based Training

Essex Cares offers Work Based Training from 16 sites across the county, providing time limited work experience within a fully functioning business. Vocational Work Based Training enables adults with learning disabilities to gain skills and confidence enhancing their opportunities for employment in the future.

Our specialities include:

Catering

Conference

Hospitality

Horticulture

Printing

Recycling and packaging

The Work Based Training sites also offer high quality, excellent value products and services for sale to the general public. This allows our trainees to not only gain skills in that specific sector but also in customer services, gaining a valuable insight into working with the general public, a key factor for future employment. All income generated by the Work Based Training sites is reinvested into the businesses to improve the services on offer to trainees.

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“I love working at Greenacre every week”

The role of Linked Employment

Essex Cares’ Linked Employment service specialises in placing working age adults with disabilities into a paid job of their choice. Essex Cares work with both the employee and the employer to find jobs that match skills, experience and individual aspirations. Essex Cares support initially with CV writing, job searches and interview techniques, and over the longer term coach individuals during the first few weeks of starting a new role.

Essex Cares continues to support employers with the primary aim of ensuring that employees continue to succeed and develop, completing their job to a high standard.Linked Employment has great benefits for everyone involved.

Linked Employment offers employers…

Highly-motivated employees who will take a pride in their work. People carefully matched to specific jobs. Jobs well done – with the professional support of the Essex Cares’ job coaches where necessary. An opportunity to help someone who will benefit from the stimulation of employment. An opportunity to show a true commitment to the Equal Opportunities legislation and the Disability Discrimination Act. Assistance for the employee in the new job, until they’re able to work independently. Support throughout the whole process and a commitment to provide ongoing information, advice and guidance. Consultancy services for employers relating to positive policies and practices in relation to employment of disadvantaged people.

6 Countywide

… and employees

The stimulation of real and purposeful employment.Employment opportunities where the work is paid at national minimum wage or above. Training offering specific skills that can assist with gaining employment. For example interview techniques and CV writing. Job opportunities from just one hour a week to full time.Opportunities to be recognised for their abilities rather than their disabilities. Increased self-confidence, leading to the possibility of more demanding tasks.The knowledge that they are a valued part of their community.Assistance for the employee in the new job, until they’re able to work independently. Support throughout the whole process and a commitment to provide ongoing information, advice and guidance.

William celebrated 20 years at The Wine Company in Colchester in 2012.

“I like it here because I get out and about and work with lots of nice people”

William’s Manager said, “He is a very valuable employee – he’s full of enthusiasm and is as diligent, hardworking and honest as any member of my team.”

7Countywide

North Essex

Oakwood PackagingClacton

Oakwood Packaging is a training co-operative offering work based training in contract packing work.

Based on an industrial business park on the outskirts of Clacton-on-Sea, Oakwood Packaging supports disadvantaged adults to gain Work Based Training in a real business environment focusing on improving skills and confidence to enhance future employment opportunities.

Oakwood Packaging provides training in a broad range of services including hand packing, labelling, sleeve wrapping, booklet collation, heat sealing, gift wraps, shrink wrapping, cards, boxes, light assembly of electrical components, swatches, collating, gluing and taping.

They work succesfully with Government agencies and health bodies as well as private sector organisations in a range of industries including textiles, print and manufacturing.

“I like working here. Because of working here I got a

job as Health Access Champion”

- Linda, trainee at Oakwood Packaging

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North Essex

Oakwood Plough CornerClacton

Oakwood Plough Corner has a café, conference and garden centre all on one site. It provides training opportunities to disadvantaged adults, to support them to gain work skills in catering, hospitality and horticulture.

Meals and snacks are prepared and served to visitors to the café, open public events are held on site, and buffets are prepared and served to groups using the onsite conference room. The garden centre has large greenhouses, polytunnels and a shop to enable the public to best take advantage of the excellent facilities provided in our extensive grounds.

The catering training at Oakwood Plough Corner includes learning about food preparation, cooking, baking, cleaning and serving food and drinks to customers. We also focus on customer service skills as well as till training and clearing tables.

The centre’s horticulture training includes learning about plant care, growing, watering and pruning as well as training in landscaping, general maintenance tasks for the garden centre and serving members of the public. Trainees will learn to use the till to serve customers and helping customers carry items to their cars.

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North Essex

Treetops CaféColchester

Treetops is an inspiring service that gives practical bite-sized training in food preparation and hospitality. It is based at the Woodlands Wellbeing & Activity Centre, Colchester. The staff team offer hands-on training and advice to trainees on reaching their goals and gaining an insight into all aspects of working in hospitality.

People are part of the team that produces Café-style food, hot lunches, light snacks, buffets and sandwiches for local businesses. The team maintains the high standards of cleanliness and health and safety of the Woodlands Wellbeing & Activity Centre. The staff support trainees in gaining experience that could lead to paid employment in their community.

At Treetops, staff believe in progression and personal development. They offer the trainee an opportunity to be part of an exciting world of catering and hospitality, and to develop the key life skills they need to enter the world of work.

“I’m enjoying gaining the skills and experience to take that

next step to gaining paid employment”

- Paul, trainee at Treetops Café

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North Essex

Red HouseMessing

Red House can be found in of a small Essex village in the North of the county. It provides Work Based Training in catering, horticulture and creative design to enable its customers to develop skills needed for future employment opportunities.

The catering training includes: learning all about food preparation, cooking, baking, cleaning and serving of the food. Meals and snacks are prepared for visitors to the café.

Red House offers creative design training in bespoke fabric design and greetings cards. They encourage design work particularly arts and crafts. Red House has an artists’ garden that was created and developed through this training exercise. A range of items from fabric products, greetings cards and garden ornaments are made on site.

The horticulture training at Red House includes: learning about plant care and growing, as well as as landscaping, shrub pruning and general maintenance tasks for the garden centre. This may include plant sales, till training and helping customers to carry items to their cars.

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North Essex

Book Rest CaféClacton & Colchester

There are two Book Rest Cafés in North Essex, which are small coffee bars located within Clacton-on-Sea and Colchester libraries. These offer training in all aspects of hospitality along with till training, ordering of stock and customer service.

The work based opportunities provided in these environments provide frontline customer interaction with the general public within our library cafés. The Bookrest Cafés are inspiring places of work thatgive practical bite-sized training in customer service. The staff team offer hands-on training, advice on reaching goals and gaining an insight into every aspect of working in a café.

Trainees produce hot drinks directly from a commercial coffee machine as well as selling a variety of light snacks. They aim to develop the customer service skills that could lead to paid employment in their local communities.

Members of staff support trainees in gaining money-handling experience as well as the Health & Safety essentials a potential

employer would genuinely value.

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Mid Essex

Roundwood Garden Centre & CaféBraintree

Roundwood Garden Centre is based on the outskirts of Braintree serving the local communities’ gardening needs, as well as being an ideal place to grab a bite to eat and a great cup of coffee. With the guidance and support of the dedicated team there, trainees can achieve the vital skills needed to take that next step into employment.

The catering training at Roundwood covers all aspects of food preparation, cooking, baking, hygiene and serving of food. Training also involves the provision of tea and coffee facilities and buffet lunches for the centre’s conference room.

The café is open to the public seven days a week offering a wide range of customer service training opportunities. Trainees receive till training and are responsible for taking orders, preparing drinks, providing waiter service and clearing tables.

The centre’s horticultural training includes learning about plant care, product growing and landscaping.

“I do enjoy the work here at Roundwood. I work in the kitchen and café and have been here since it first opened.”

- Esther, trainee at Roundwood Cafe

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Mid Essex

GreenacreChelmsford

Greenacre is a training co-operative for adults with learning disabilities offering bite-sized training in food preparation, hospitality and horticulture. Set in over three acres of beautifully maintained gardens, Greenacre is well placed with access from the A12 and only a short drive from Chelmsford city centre.

Catering and hospitality training at Greenacre is provided in a very busy conference centre, where visitors require working lunches and refreshments. The centre also regularly provides buffet catering for external events. Training is provided on all aspects of catering and customer service giving trainees a realistic experience in a supportive environment.

Greenacre is set in beautiful grounds that are perfect for horticulture training. The horticulture training provides an insight into a number of different activities including instruction in how to grow plants, how to look after plants and how to keep the grounds clean, tidy and maintained throughout all the seasons of the year.

Produce grown in the grounds are used in the kitchens at Greenacre.

“I like to work at Greenacre to learn

to make a meal and to help give meals to people

in the offices upstairs for their

lunch”

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Mid Essex

Strawberry FieldsBraintree

Strawberry Fields is a Work Based Training service for people seeking a career in catering and hospitality, offering skills and confidence in a safe, supportive and friendly environment.

Strawberry Fields is based in the Carousel Children’s Centre in Braintree. The team there provide meals and snacks for a busy Sure Start Children’s Centre, catering for more than 50 children, making snacks and meals that meet strict Government guidelines on nutrition. They also run a community café from the main hall, which is open five days a week offering a variety of snacks and drinks in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere for a number of community groups which use the facility on a weekly basis. In addition the centre caters for outside events and provide buffets that deliver quality and value, throughout the Braintree and Witham areas.

The centre offers the opportunity to gain experience within a fully working commercial kitchen, encouraging independence, increased confidence, work related skills and knowledge. They specialise in training based on good health and safety practice and food hygiene, so whether customers are looking to gain paid employment in catering or want to improve their domestic skills, Strawberry Fields can help.

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South Essex

Barley TwistBasildon

Barley Twist offers Work Based Training in catering and horticulture which enables its customers to learn the skills needed to progress into paid employment. The centre also has a small horticulture project where they grow vegetables to use in the kitchen. All trainees will learn soft skills including commitment to attendance, team work and supporting colleagues.

Barley Twist offers customers the opportunity to learn cooking and food preparation skills along with cleaning rotas, stock ordering and rotation, time keeping and team work.

Within the horticulture project customers will learn when to plant seeds and where is the best place for them to grow along with watering, maintenance and the purpose of personal protective equipment and health and safety.

“I just wanted again to say a BIG thank you for all your help and support in making our birthday

celebrations yesterday such a success. I’ve been

telling everyone about the

marvellous carrot cake, I’ll be back soon to get

another piece!”

- Gail, Customer of Barley Twist buffet

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South Essex

Copy Cats 2Brentwood

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Copy Cats 2 is an Essex Cares training co-operative in Brentwood providing adults with learning disabilities vocational opportunities. The centre provides training in all aspects of printing from design to delivering the finished products. The service supports people to develop work based skills within a real business environment.

Copy Cats 2 has a printing, design and IT department which provides printing solutions to local businesses and associated groups. The service helps trainees to understand the requirements and responsibilities of an employee to a company. The staff provide consistent training in a caring and supportive environment to enable disadvantaged adults to gain the skills and confidence they would need in the world of work.

Copy Cats 2 produces a wide variety of printing and reprographic items. Examples of their work include: booklets and brochures, newsletters and magazines, business cards, calendars, greetings and Christmas cards, flyers and leaflets, folding and binding, laminating and photocopying, design and consultancy and canvas printing

“Many thanks for your support in putting together our poems booklet. It has been much appreciated”

- A Copy Cats 2 customer

Book Rest CaféBrentwood & Basildon

South Essex

There are two Book Rest Cafés in South Essex, which are small coffee bars located within Basildon and Brentwood libraries. These offer training in all aspects of hospitality along with till training, ordering of stock and customer service.

The Bookrest Cafés are inspiring places of work that give practical bite-sized training in customer service. The staff team offer hands-on training, advice on reaching goals and gaining an insight into every aspect of working in a café. Trainees produce hot drinks directly from a commercial coffee machine as well as selling a variety of light snacks. They develop the customer service skills that could lead to paid employment in their local area.

Staff will support trainees in gaining money-handling experience as well as the health and safety essentials any potential employer

would genuinely value. So if customers are seeking a job in a café or restaurant, the

Book Rest Cafés are the ideal places to kick start their careers.

“Best cappuccino in Brentwood, very good

service”

-

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West Essex

Café GoodmanHarlow

Café Goodman is situated within Goodman House, near Harlow railway station. The café provides catering and hospitality services to the staff working within this office environment.

The kitchen café is open five days a week, providing a large variety of snacks and refreshments, as well as a hearty lunch menu. The café also offers a coffee bar service offering fresh Fairtrade tea and coffee, sandwiches and homemade cakes.

The mission at Café Goodman is to bring about change by working to enable individuals who experience disadvantage to become valued members of their local community and to gain recognition for their skills and talents. This is achieved by supporting people to take greater control of their lives, to access their local communities and to gain employment.

Café Goodman is an inspiring workplace that gives practical bite-sized training in food preparation and hospitality. The dedicated staff team offer hands on training and advice on reaching each individual’s goals.

“I love working at Café Goodman. The staff are so helpful and friendly. I’m learning a lot about working in the kitchen”.

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West Essex

Copy CatsSaffron Walden

Copy Cats is a training co-operative providing Work Based Training in printing, design and reprographics. The centre support individuals to gain the skills they need for future employment, providing work tasters, work experience and training opportunities in a safe working environment which trades within a variety of sectors.

Copy Cats offer a wide range of high quality printing products to local and national organisations as well as providing a bespoke design services to internal and external customers.

Products and services that trainees will be involved in producing include: business cards, leaflets, posters, booklets, photocopying, binding, design, collation, confidential shredding, calendars and website design.

“Copycats is very good and I work hard on my laptop”- Janet, customer at Copycats

“I look forward to my days working at Saffron Walden,

the atmosphere is amazing, everyone

staff & customers are happy and positive, it’s like working as one

big family.”- Kerry, member of

staff at Copycats

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Noah’s CaféSaffron Walden

West Essex

Noah’s Café is a welcoming place that gives practical bite-sized training in food preparation and hospitality. The café is based at the Saffron Walden Wellbeing & Activity Centre, where the staff team offer hands-on training and guidance in a friendly supportive environment.

The team produces café style food, hot lunches, light snacks, buffets and sandwiches for local people and businesses, creating a variety of meals with a different menu every day. Training is given in food hygiene, money handling and health & safety, offering experience that could lead to paid employment in the local area.

The Noah’s Café experience gives people who have a learning disability the opportunity to work in an environment that is both challenging and supportive. Trainees prepare and serve tasty wholesome food in a high quality kitchen, learning the skills they will need to gain a paid job in the community.

“ I like to give good customer service and make the main meals and sandwiches, training to get ready for work in the future and to learn new skills”

- Jamie, customer at Noah’s Cafe

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A Glossary of Essex Cares Services

Reablement - helping individuals to regain the skills and confidence that they need to remain independent in their own home after a spell in hospital or a period of ill health.

Outreach - supporting individuals at home and within their local community.

Home Share - Host Carers offering day support at their home for a small group.

Sensory Service - providing training and advice in daily living skills to promote safety and independence and providing specialist equipment for hearing and/or visually impaired adults.

Telecare - fully trained staff on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year to visit homes following emergency calls from bed sensors, door sensors, smoke alarms etc.

HomeSafe – a range of products and services offering everything you may need to support independence at home and in the local community. Aids and equipment can be delivered to your door and adaptations completed by trained assessors.

Wellbeing & Activity Centres – supporting older adults or those with learning disabilities to remain active in their communities.The centres offer a wide variety of activities on and off site all of which encourage and aid independence.

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Pricing Information

Day (6 hours)

AM or PM (3 hours)

Hourly Rate

Work Based Training One to One Support

£120 £60 £20

Work Based Training Group Support

£35 £20 £8

Linked Employment support will be charged on an hourly rate of £27.

VAT will be charged where applicable.

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For more information about any of these services, in the first instance please call us on 0845 835 0150.

Bente WilsonHead of Service for Work Based Training & Social EnterpriseTel: 07775 757 004

Debbie Edgell - Operational Manager North EssexTel: 07747 486 289

Karen Canny - Operational Manager Mid EssexTel: 07585 983 407

Paul Billings - Operational Manager South EssexTel: 07585 308 199

Steve Pickles - Operational Manager West EssexTel: 07585 308 201

0845 835 0150www.essexcares.orginfo@essexcares.org

Printed by Copy Cats Saffron Walden. For sales enquiries email copycats@essexcares.org

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