Willzy first began his ReStore experience as part of a joinery course work placement. Since then, through the JobStart scheme, he has become a member of the ReStore Ballymena staff team, as a Retail trainee. Read about his ReStore experience below.
I have been with ReStore Ballymena for 9 months, starting with a work placement for my joinery course through The Rutledge Group. When this was finishing, I saw an advert to become a paid Retail Trainee with ReStore through the JobStart Scheme and applied.
I enjoy getting out of the house and engaging with other people. At ReStore, every day is different and interesting.
I am very sociable and love chatting with everyone – customers, volunteers, and staff – about how their day is going and how I can assist. I also enjoy using my joinery skills to build furniture in the store.
I am open to doing anything at ReStore and appreciate the variety of tasks – especially serving customers at the till, participating in van collections, and assisting with House to Home projects.
I have learned about the importance of working together in a team. Additionally, I had the opportunity to obtain an OCN qualification in Retail Business with Matt – he was such a great teacher.
I have gained insights into working with the public and the rewarding and challenging aspects of it, which will undoubtedly assist me in my future roles.
I have loved the people I've met at ReStore – as unique as everyone is, the team comes together well!
Figuring out how to assemble furniture without instructions can be a bit of a nightmare, like solving a jigsaw puzzle without a picture. However, it's quite satisfying when you figure it out.
It's nice knowing that every item we sell in the shop goes to help people who really need our support. It makes the day-to-day work around the shop feel really important.
