Ruby is currently in her third year at college. Ruby is on a pathway to develop her ability to live independently, her community access and her employability skills. Ruby has worked hard to learn new skills through her time with us in various work placements. Her favourite work has been in hospitality, where she has accessed placements in hotels, bars and restaurants.
One of her employers, Joanne Duncalf, says: “Ruby has demonstrated that she can maintain her attention on a task for increasing lengths of time and shown that she has the potential for making further progress in employment. She has demonstrated that she is able to listen to staff instructions and follow modelling in order for her to complete her role. Ruby has established that she can have a valued place in a work environment, and I would be happy to recommend her for a longer-term work placement.“
Ruby has worked hard to improve her employability skills and has now built up from litter picking outside, where she felt more comfortable, to working in the hospitality department of the Mercure hotel, where she is learning all about professional relationships and how to behave appropriately in the workplace.
Ruby also works on building her independent living skills throughout the college day. She works with staff support to make her lunch every day, learns how to clean and tidy her things, and can start transferring these skills to her home. Each week, Ruby works as part of a team with her peers to cook a full meal they can sit and enjoy together. She has had the opportunity to use a range of utensils within the kitchen, and one of the most important things for Ruby is to learn how to do this safely. With staff support, she is now much more confident to complete tasks such as chopping salad, using the toaster and microwave and choosing ingredients to make herself a healthy meal.
Ruby has also increased the number of community facilities that she accesses. Over the time that she has been with us, Ruby has been able to take part in an array of opportunities within the community. This is important for her as she wants to live as full a life as possible in the future. Ruby is supported to access a supermarket each week to buy the items on her shopping list to prepare her meals.
She has also been able to build her fitness skills by accessing different gym sessions and swimming baths which are very important to her. Ruby enjoys being very busy throughout her college week, which includes a weekly community visit, where she can practise her road safety skills and eat out in different cafes/pubs and restaurants. This is essential for Ruby to develop her communication skills further by expressing her likes and dislikes, ordering her chosen food and socialising with her peers, all things that she has been able to progress significantly throughout her time in college.