Employers testimonials

Mary - Shoezone, Peckham

Shoezone in Peckham has had regular placements through Foot in the Door and even has one young person who was promoted to Deputy Manager. Mary, the manager, has had 12 years experience in retail in Shoezone and knows the local area well. She runs the shop efficiently, but when interviewed for the evaluation of the project, said she had previously experienced problems in recruiting Sunday workers.

Mary had a very good relationship with the Southwark Works Project Adviser, she described him as always at hand to give advice, sort out any problems and find recruits. Margaret likes to meet the young person and explain the retail environment in Shoezone before the placement begins, but she has found that the Southwark Works Project Adviser understands her needs and the placements are almost always suitable. This saves on recruitment costs and now she has designed a training module for the shop which gives continuity of employment in the shop, and there is an agreed standard of performance which the project shares with the student before the placement.

The young people arrive “prepped” and know what is expected from the start, this saves time and provides good customer care standards. The project became Mary’s preferred pathway for recruitment for part-time workers. Mary is an enthusiast of the project and has recommended the project to other Shoezone stores in South London as a cost effective measure to support the business.

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