Opportunities to thrive

Our Trainees & Their Journey

At 21 Young Hearts, we currently have capacity for 12 trainees and a waiting list of 17 individuals eager to join the programme.

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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

Trainees learn all aspects of working in a café and becoming a barista, including customer and table service, operating the till, preparing coffees using a professional barista machine, preparing hot and cold food, cutting cakes, and carrying out the many important cleaning tasks involved in café work.

Next steps

Once trainees have mastered these skills, there may be opportunities for employment. We are proud to have already employed three of our first trainees after just eight months of opening. We are also working closely with external businesses to create even more opportunities for our trainees in the future.