Outside the Box (OTB) recently celebrated the success of the first group of students to complete their Skills+ Catering & Customer Service course.
A special afternoon tea event showcased the new skills developed by course participants, all adults with a learning disability and/or autism. Friends and family of the group, together with staff and volunteers at the charity, gathered to enjoy an impressive spread of coffee, tea and delicious cakes, prepared by and served out by the group.
Over the first 12 weeks of the Skills+ course, the students developed their knowledge and skills in many different aspects of catering, food hygiene, and customer service, using the recently refurbished and newly equipped OTB training kitchen. At the event all students were presented with an OTB certificate in recognition of their achievements.
Mark Ball and Roisin Prior, who were part of the course and the event, reflected on their experiences. Mark shared, "It was great!" with Roisin adding, "I made cakes and served my Mum, which made me feel happy." Roisin’s Mum, Celine Prior commented that, "Well done everyone! I had a lovely afternoon and the cakes were delicious." Lucy Heap, a proud parent of one of the students, shared, "We really enjoyed coming for our afternoon tea (eat as much cake as you can challenge!). It was clear that the members were all very keen to take orders and share their baking with us.”
The Skills+ Course, delivered by tutor Richard Newall, will continue into next year with both existing and new students expanding their catering and customer service skills. Emma Rogerson, OTB’s Services Manager, commented that: "The success of the first part of the course has been incredibly rewarding and has shown how much can be achieved by students in a supportive and empowering environment. It has been great to see members benefitting from our upgraded training kitchen and the guidance of a highly experienced, qualified tutor. We very much look forward to seeing how much more can be accomplished and celebrated with this in future.”
A few places remain open on the Skills+ course, which runs weekly on a Tuesday afternoon at Outside the Box in Ilkley. If you or someone you know with a learning disability could benefit from gaining practical skills in catering and customer service in an inclusive and supportive setting, please contact Emma Rogerson at emmar.outsidethebox@gmail.com.