Unity Works wants to see an inclusive world where people with a learning disability who want to work can work. The Felix Project is a charity that rescues surplus food from the food industry and delivers it to around 1,200 frontline organisations and schools in London. Greencore is a manufacturer of convenience food.
Unity Works played a key role in supporting The Felix Project to launch this programme, creating accessible job descriptions, adverts, and providing a preselection of candidates as well as supporting in an accessible recruitment day.
At the start of the year The Felix Project launched their six-month trainee placement which saw two young men with a learning disability Tomide and Israel, work at their site to gain skills and experience working as packing assistant.
Both Israel and Tomide settled into their roles and by the time their placements ended, they had both become integral members of their team even progressing so far as to support with the inducting and ongoing support of The Felix Project’s corporate volunteers.
Wanting to build on the programme’s success, The Felix Project reached out to one of their partners, Greencore and both Tomide and Israel moved into full time roles as operatives at their site in Bow.
Nick Kerle, head of production at The Felix Project, said: “I was so thrilled by the results from the first course and am already confident the second in take will do just as well.
“It has genuinely given me such a sense of satisfaction and pride to know we have helped people, who previously struggled to get into work because of learning difficulties, actually get a career. The catering industry is crying out for people, and I hope this programme shows what can be achieved when we all work in collaboration.”