The Participation is far from Petite at Pettitt’s Supervalu

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Louise Casey, Regional Coordinator, BITCI reports on Enniscorthy Vocational School’s partnership with their local Supervalu.

Enniscorthy Vocational School (EVS) are partnered with Pettitt’s Supervalu for their Skills @ Work Programme. Pettitt’s SuperValu have a strong reputation for being customer and community focused and EVS would echo this sentiment.

This link was launched in September 2012 and has been thriving ever since. Continuous involvement from both the CEO Cormac Pettitt, as well as Rosaleen Casey, Enniscorthy Supermarket Manager has allowed this partnership to be valued, maintained and developed. While Ann Kane, HR Manager and school co-ordinators Laura McWalters’ & Aileen Walsh’s proactive approach has encouraged the students to engage and take advantage of this unique opportunity.

The Skills @ Work programme commences early in the academic year and EVS finish with a wrap up session in February where they express their gratitude to their partners. It has proven to be a consistent link and the store has even rewarded students with work placements and part time work during busy seasonal periods. The school is very committed and attendance and cooperation is always excellent. The highlights of the programme are the site visit, as well as the ‘Day in the Life’ session where the students learn about customer service, communication and lifelong skills which are essential for all types of employment.

This is some feedback we have received from students who have taken part:

“To make a successful store you need excellent people skills in order to communicate with customers and the importance of focusing on your customers is paramount.”

“The visit to Pettitt’s was excellent and a great learning experience. I gained insight into the responsibilities of the employees and how important it is that they all work as a team and do their jobs correctly to aid the smooth running of the store.”

“My experience with Pettitt’s was very good. I learned lots about the world of work and what should be expected of us while working and applying for jobs.”