I had been a Crisis Member for 6 months when my Coach Ed, suggested that I attend a Behind The Scenes (BTS) day for the Café training programme.  Ed thought it would suit my outgoing nature. The BTS session was happening on the same day at the same time! So, he walked me over to the café.

During the four hour session our group was led though a mixture of classroom learning activities  and to the kitchen environment. We made flapjacks, had coffee with current trainees and café staff. By the end of the session I knew it would be a good fit for me, I completed the application form and signed up for the programme.

As I neared the end of my 12 weeks of training, I really didn’t want to leave but I still wasn’t sure Hospitality was my first choice for a second career ( I had previously worked in insurance for twenty years) a member of the Café team suggested that the retail training programme as I would have the opportunity to use my café skills at in the coffee bar.

From my first day, I thought: Wow this is me, this is where I want to be!

Six months of training and who knew? Not me! I never expected such in depth training, I thought it would only involve stuffing clothes onto hangers and tidying up bit. It is so much more and I know this level training is not available in your average retail business.

I love interacting with people from all backgrounds and learning from their life experiences, I see a lot of myself and what I have been through in others thanks to my time on the retail training programme, my time in the Crisis shop.

Now that the programme has ended, I have become an ambassador and will continue to volunteer in the shop until I gain employment.

Crisis is part of my make up now, it has helped immensely with my life, part 2.

Susan went on to apply for a retail supervisor position – and was successful!