South Metropolitan TAFE in Bentley has launched WA’s first Mini Woolies, a simulated retail environment designed to help students with disability develop essential workplace skills.
The program includes hands-on training with shelving, signage, ticketing, and point-of-sale registers using educational money, which allows participants to develop practical skills in numeracy, literacy, and communication.
WA Disability Services Minister Don Punch said providing training opportunities for people with disability is crucial to empowering them with the confidence to join the workforce and build a more inclusive WA.
“Everyone has a role to play in our State’s workforce, however people with disability face significant barriers in accessing employment opportunities compared to other cohorts in our community,” Mr Punch said.
“The Mini Woolies facility at South Metropolitan TAFE’s Bentley campus gives people with disability the opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive way and gain essential skills that allow them to participate in the workforce.”
While this is the first Mini Woolies at a TAFE campus in WA, more than 6,000 people with disability across Australia and New Zealand have had the opportunity to train in a Mini Woolies space since 2018 through partnerships with the Woolworths Group and various learning institutions.
According to the WA State Government, participation rates of students with disability in WA’s vocational training system continue to grow, with publicly funded enrolments increasing by 13.4 per cent this year, as of 30 September 2024.
Darshi Ganeson, Managing Director of South Metropolitan TAFE, said she is proud to be the first WA vocational training provider to offer this hands-on retail training experience.
“Mini Woolies provides a safe, comfortable, and lifelike environment for students with disability to learn literacy, numeracy, communication and personal skills whilst growing confidence for the workforce,” Ms Ganeson said.
“The excitement and passion for this project from end-to-end from our managers, lecturers, students and the Woolies team has been a force of dedication and inspiration, which in turn has a positive flow-on effect to day-to-day delivery and success of the program.”
The initiative is part of the Certificate I in Gaining Access to Training and Employment (GATE), which is now accepting enrolments for Semester 1, 2025.
