Opportunities to thrive

Our Trainees & Their Journey

We work with 12 trainees at a time – with each trainee taking a half day shift within the café, each week. Because there is no set timeframe to complete training, we operate a waiting list for future trainee opportunities. We advise registering as soon as you can if you think that 21 Young Hearts may be the place for you or someone you know, as the waiting list is quite long!

Ask about opportunities

Trainees supported

Trainees brought on board as paid employees

The start of the journey

Before starting, each trainee completes an “About Me” form, which helps us understand their diagnoses and how these may affect them. We also encourage trainees to visit the café several times as customers beforehand, allowing them to become familiar and comfortable with the environment. These visits also give them the opportunity to get to know our staff, while staff can begin building positive relationships with them in return.

A New Experience

Many trainees begin with little or no experience within the café industry, and starting something new can often feel overwhelming. However, with the right support in place, these worries soon begin to fade as their confidence grows. It is incredible to see how quickly they progress and truly begin to shine.

Supporting our Trainees

We create personalised support and target plans for every trainee to help monitor both their needs and their progress. We take a highly individual approach, ensuring that each learning journey is person-centred. No two journeys are the same, and every trainee progresses at their own pace — which is absolutely encouraged and supported.

Working in the Café

All aspects of working in a café are covered in each trainee plan - including barista training, customer and table service, operating the till and money handling, food preparation, cleaning & tidying, stock ordering and observing cashing up. Whilst on shift, any tips given, are shared with the trainee, effectively giving them their own pay packet whilst undertaking their training.

Next steps

Once each trainee has completed their individual training plan, there may be opportunities for employment within the cafe. To date, three trainees have completed their training and are now employed within the café. For some trainees, working in the café may not be the best opportunity for their longer term employment needs (and we can’t employ everyone!) and we work with our trainees to identify placements and opportunities within the local business network.