Gordon Rigg praises special learning scheme

John Jackson and Jack Woodall at Gordon Rigg Garden, Home & Leisure Centre

Gordon Riggs Garden, Home & Leisure Centre has praised a special learning scheme after glowing mystery shop reviews.

The Rochdale branch provides work experience placements to students with physical and/or learning difficulties from Hopwood Hall College.

Mystery shoppers specifically highlighted three students in placements as one of the positives they saw during numerous visits to the garden centre.

One of the students on a work placement as part of the progressions course was Jack Woodall.

Jack was ‘mystery shopped’, with shoppers commending the learner’s communication skills and willingness to leave his comfort zone in the pursuit of providing the best customer service.

John Jackson, manager of the Rochdale store, praised the students’ efforts and the value they have added to operations: “Gordon Rigg is proud of our long standing relationship with Hopwood Hall College and the work placement scheme.

“The performance of all the students during our mystery shopper visits was excellent. Jack in particular has become a very valuable member of the team, he earned a very high score during the mystery shop and has since been offered paid employment with us.

“The scheme has proved to be a very valuable partnership between the two institutions.”

Skills for Life, the college programme the students study on, aimed for the scheme to encourage student progression in communication, confidence and work skills.

Mandy Fletcher, lecturer on the Skills for Life course emphasised the importance of having companies like Gordon Riggs working with other organisations in the community: “The opportunities they have provided to our students are invaluable, there is a severe lack of opportunities for them in employment terms.

“I’m really happy the students have proved how valuable they can be to an employer, showing that having a disability certainly isn’t a barrier to providing excellent customer service in a professional setting.”