Providing work experience opportunities

Causeway Coffee, a multi-award-winning speciality coffee roaster based in Ballymoney, County Antrim, roasts ethically sourced beans from around the world.

Graham Watts, Co-Founder and Managing Director, explains how Causeway Coffee developed staff through work experience placements and the positive impact on their business.

Why we explored work experience placements

"Internal and external factors drove Causeway Coffee to explore work experience placements. Strong growth created a need for additional support, but tight margins prevented us from hiring a full-time employee. We also wanted to invest in future talent and find someone who could be a potential long-term member of our coffee family. Therefore, we found that work experience placements provided an ideal solution, allowing us to train individuals to our specific standards."

"A neighbouring company's positive experience with a work experience placement through Ulster Supported Employment Limited (USEL), a public body serving individuals with disabilities or health conditions, encouraged us to reconsider our recruitment strategies. My background in recruiting and managing large teams made my skills a natural fit for mentoring and developing someone seeking employment."

How we helped our work experience placement get started

"We designed a tailored training plan. This approach maximised the benefits of the work experience placement for both the placement and our company. The plan prioritised developing the placement's communication skills and confidence by exposing them to sales and marketing. We also leveraged the placement's IT aptitude, giving them hands-on experience in e-commerce, social media management, and website development. This approach enabled the placement to apply and refine their IT skills in a real-world business environment."

Local help and support

"Taste Causeway, a local collaborative network for the food and hospitality industry, supported us throughout the process. The network facilitated informal discussions about the challenges and rewards of onboarding new team members, enabling us to exchange ideas and problem-solve. Additionally, employment advisors at the local Jobs & Benefits Office, from the Department for Communities, offered guidance."

Benefits of taking on a work experience placement

"Because the work experience placement required no financial commitment, we faced minimal risk compared to hiring a permanent employee. However, we understood that a successful placement demanded a commitment of time and resources to develop their skills and knowledge, ensuring a truly beneficial experience."

"The work experience placement benefited both parties. It allowed Causeway Coffee to manage its workload with additional support, and it gave the placement a significant advantage in the job market. The placement developed skills, knowledge, and confidence that will make them invaluable in their future job search. Our team found the experience surprisingly rewarding for everyone involved."

"The placement's fresh perspective, with insightful questions and innovative ideas, prompted Causeway Coffee to reassess some operational methods. This experience underscored the importance of fostering an open-minded culture and empowering staff. We maximised the training plan's effectiveness by granting the placement autonomy within a supportive framework, which resulted in positive placement engagement and business benefits.."

"Although the placement lasted only 13 weeks, the training programme forced us to work quickly and focus on helping our placement gain experience in each aspect of our business. The programme's flexibility, which included frequent reassessments with the placement, created a dynamic learning environment. We often paused training to reassess our processes and make quick changes. This helped our placement work through ideas dynamically, with often immediate results. Clearly, Causeway Coffee benefited, as we tightened up and improved our systems and processes with fresh ideas."