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Homebase and Include Youth

Cast Study - Lee

Homebase is committed to serving our local community and supporting people in enhancing their skills to secure employment. We have built up a good working relationship with the Equality Commission over the years and this has opened up opportunities for us to work with a range of organisations to provide work tasters and work placements across our nine stores in Northern Ireland.

Following a Bridge the Gap seminar in November 2009, Homebase made contact with Jacinta at Include Youth and this has led to a great partnership and a series of work placements in our stores.

"Homebase has been good. I like getting the experience of the work, and I have good craic with the staff. They have been good at showing me what to do, taught me new things and made me feel like part of the team. So far I´ve enjoyed the experience."

- Lee Gillard, Give and Take Young Person Placement Scheme

"I was a bit wary of the job to begin with, but David showed me the ropes and now I know what to do - so when I go into work I can just get on with it."

- Lee Gillard, Give and Take Young Person at 4-week Placement Review

"The change in Lee since he started his work placement in Homebase in Belfast Forestside has been fantastic. His confidence has soared and he gets a lot out of going to his placement.Lee works in the warehouse and has stated to me that he just feels like one of the team, and to him, that is really important.

Lee is so proud to wear his Homebase uniform, and when I visit he is always busy - so much so that I get the blame for holding him back from his work!

The staff at Homebase have been very supportive of Lee and are great at encouraging him to learn as well as challenging him to try new things.

Although Lee is on a little break from Homebase at the moment, this flexibility has been a really positive thing, as previously he would have just left. However due to personal issues he requested a temporary break so that he would not "mess up his placement". Lee is definite that when he gets other things in his life sorted, he is looking forward to going back to placement in Homebase, and this has been made possible because of the support of the staff, in particular Bev."

- Donna Galbraith, Project Worker, Give and Take Scheme

The concept of work tasters and work placements have been received positively across all of our stores and we truly see this as a great way to support people in gaining work experience in a retail environment and also to welcome people back into the workplace and provide a platform for them to learn new skills and enhance existing skills.

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