By Mitchell Beadman
Following its success across Australia and New Zealand, the Mini Woolies program allows TAFE NSW students with the diagnosis of a learning and/or intellectual disability or autism an opportunity to progress through vocational education and pursue a pathway into the workforce.
Within some secondary and vocational education systems, students who have been diagnosed with a learning and/or intellectual disability or autism may not be provided with the same educational opportunities as other students.
But with the implementation of the Mini Woolies program, lives are being changed.
The program was launched in the TAFE NSW curriculum in 2023 at the Loftus campus in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire after being identified by TAFE NSW Eastern Head Teacher for Retail and Visual Merchandising Kerry Little as a structured program to benefit students like Amber in Certificate II Retail.
“We then had this idea three-and-a-half years ago that we could offer the students [with a disability] something more than just sitting in a classroom to do their retail learning with a program like Mini Woolies,” Little said.
Seeing first-hand the success of the Mini Woolies program in the TAFE NSW curriculum and the positive effect on students with a disability, Little provided a real-life example of the progression for students.
“From a Certificate I level, they [students] can then move into a Certificate II [Retail], and Woolworths offer the opportunity for students to go and do work placement in their stores and that’s absolutely amazing for these students,” she said.
“While the students are on work placement, Woolworths Group assess and determines how that student will fit into their workforce plan.
“We have had some successful opportunities where students have done work placement and they’ve got employment. They love to go into that working environment. It’s great for their own development and confidence.”
As traditional concepts of teaching have evolved from the progressive research of learning capabilities of those with a disability, the Mini Woolies program leans on the foundational components of the social learning theory of direct experience, coined by psychologist and Professor of Social Science in Psychology Albert Bandura in the late Seventies.
Senior clinical and research psychologist at the University of Technology Sydney’s The Kidman Centre, Dr Anna Dedousis-Wallace, sees the semi-formal setting offered by the Mini Woolies program as beneficial for its students.
“Programs that resemble real workplace environments can help students build communication, teamwork, organisation, problem solving, and independence skills in ways that feel more concrete and achievable,” Dr Dedousis-Wallace said.
“Importantly, these programs can also have a positive impact on self-esteem.”
When asked what it feels like to be a part of the Mini Woolies program, Amber’s raw response is a distinct example of the positive impact on students’ self-esteem.
“Almost like a worker, it’s really special,” Amber said.
“It keeps you moving, and you learn a lot of new things. It helps you find a job and you find out what you want to do.
“It’s a good feeling, you feel less lonely – it feels good to be here.”
For Jane Laing, who has been a teacher at TAFE NSW for over 18 years, she too sees that the Mini Woolies program provides the foundations of inclusion and encouragement which in turn facilitates pride within students.
“The students are very proud to be involved in such an environment and for many of them, it is the first time they have been exposed to these real-life situations,” Laing said.
“The students come in here [to the Mini Woolies classroom] and put their caps and aprons on and get to practice things that they’ve never had the opportunity to do before.”
A strong component of the Mini Woolies program is “vicarious experience” which is also a key component within Professor Bandura’s social learning theory.
“It [vicarious experience] can help students develop a sense of ‘maybe I can do this too’, which is especially important for young people who may have experienced repeated setbacks or self-doubt within traditional learning environments,” Dr Dedousis-Wallace said.
“The learning environment itself also matters greatly. Real-world settings can sometimes be socially or sensorily overwhelming, particularly for autistic students.
“The most effective programs are those that are supportive, structured, flexible, and neuroaffirming i.e., where students are supported to participate authentically while accommodating different communication styles, sensory needs, and ways of learning.”
With over 100 Mini Woolies programs in schools and vocational settings across Australia and New Zealand, there are 12 programs within the TAFE NSW curriculum. Little explained that the Mini Woolies program is not widely known about.
“A lot of people just assume it’s a Woolworths store that we have got on TAFE campuses that people can go and buy from,” she said.
“They don’t really understand that it is a training facility. But once we get the information through to them that we’re training people that have a disability and could pick up work later, most people are quite amazed that this happening.
“I am just so thrilled that TAFE NSW saw the value in the Mini Woolies program from an early stage and really supported us developing that relationship with Woolworths, [and] for them [Woolworths] to have rolled it out into as many locations as we now have done is just amazing.”
The Woolworths group and Fujitsu are the joint sponsors and partners of the Mini Woolies program and the Chief Executive Officer of Fujitsu Oceania, Peter Grassi, encourages those with a disability to explore the Mini Woolies program.
“Our partnership with the Mini Woolies program provides a hands-on environment where people with a disability can build confidence and gain essential real-world skills for the future,” Grassi said.
Sarah Corey, who is the General Manager of Mini Woolies and Domain Enablement Group, highlighted the progress within the TAFE NSW curriculum of the Mini Woolies program.
“We have delivered 10 different Mini Woolies locations to TAFE NSW campuses, offering a simulated supermarket space for students with disabilities to practice real skills in an interactive learning environment,” Corey said.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership with the TAFE NSW team to help support students as they prepare for career opportunities in the retail sector.”
The Mini Woolies program is a concept of Woolworths Group Technology Director Patrick Misciagni, who first piloted the program at his daughter’s school on the northern beaches.
Featured image: Amber (middle) organising the fruit with classmates. Photo: TAFE MEDIA