ELTHAM College invites students from Year 8 onward to get hands-on hospitality experience in its onsite venue, Swipers Gully Training Restaurant, beginning with the much-loved Coffee Shop work experience program. Program Coordinator, Michelle Smythe, shares their thoughts on how this unique opportunity instils valuable skills for future careers and beyond.
Coffee shop is part of the ELTHAM College work experience program where the Year 8 students complete four days of workplace training here at Swipers Training Restaurant in Semester 1 and again in Semester 2.
This is the first time students aged 13 and 14 experience working life. The students have attended school for eight years and this is an opportunity to show them the links between working life and the skills they have learned so far through their schooling.
The students in Coffee Shop undertake three-hour shifts, learning to make beverages, serve customers, process payments and understand food workplace safety. They also develop their interpersonal skills, self-confidence, teamwork, and see the importance of a positive attitude and having fun while doing it.
Parents, family and friends are welcome to attend any time and especially when their children are working at Swipers Gully Training Restaurant.
In Year 9, students return to Coffee Shop to work a week with the next cohort of Year 8 students, sharing the skills they developed from their previous shifts.
It is a really fun experience for the students and they get great pleasure serving their customers. We encourage all the community to come and see our wonderful students in action.