Patience, resilience and hard work were vital ingredients in Jack reaching his goal
Till we meet again: Jack serving a customer in Primark
For the last three years, Jack has worked in the menswear section in Primark’s branch in Abbeycentre, Newtownabbey.
After gaining experience and settling into the job, he wanted a new challenge from his role and for over a year expressed a wish for till training, which would offer the chance for more customer-facing opportunities.
However, with major in-store expansions and layout shifts ongoing in the workplace, it was agreed that Jack should first become familiar and confident with the new retail set up before assuming new responsibilities. But when the UK entered a period of lockdown in late March, there were further necessary delays that put his progress on hold.
It is often said that good things come to those who wait, though. With the reopening of Primark in the summer months, Jack's employer and Workable Officer Megan McCleave soon began working extremely closely on a plan to improve his customer service skills and scheduled his till training for quieter store hours, allowing for a reasonable adjustment period.
At last, when the time came for Jack to apply his training on the job, he fulfilled his ambition admirably, completing the whole shift on the tills. Having crafted his new skill for over a month now, we are delighted to note that his confidence has visibly improved.
To continue to support Jack, Primark in Newtownabbey have subsequently signalled an interest in undergoing NOW Group’s JAM Card training before the end of the year. Were they to do so, they would become the first JAM-Card friendly branch of the retailer on the island of Ireland – which is great news for Jack and all people with learning disabilities, autism and communication barriers.
This project has been funded by the Department for Communities.