Ervin Hits His Target

The next time you visit the Target store in Penrith, you might see the smiling face of Ervin, an Afford SLES (School Leaver Employment Support) trainee, who is well on his way to achieving his work goals.

Ervin has a strong interest in working in the retail industry. He has a friendly nature and enjoys helping people.

With a firm belief that ‘experience is a great teacher’, SLES Penrith trainers organised a second round of work experience for Ervin at his local Penrith Target store.

During work experience, Ervin has developed his job skills and his confidence has flourished. He has become more familiar with workplace expectations and thrives on taking on new responsibilities.

As part of the SLES program, trainees are supported every step of the way to work towards their employment goals.

Before he could begin his work experience, Ervin needed to take part in Target’s official video induction. He learned about the various safety regulations for working at the store, including safe manual handling and how to respond and help customers in emergencies.

He met the manager of the Penrith store, Rhonda, who gave him a tour of the different departments. He also toured behind the scenes locations such as the staff offices and loading docks.

Once Ervin knew the process and procedures, he was able to gain some practical experience, working ‘on the floor’. He learned so much about retail work-life while he tidied and folded clothing. He learned about the process to unpack and sort stock, but his favourite part was learning about how to deal with and help customers.

Thanks to his outgoing personality and enthusiastic attitude, Ervin was a natural when it came to customer service. He directed customers to the Halloween products section and showed real initiative by moving onto his next task independently after completing a job.

“Target staff were very impressed with Ervin’s efforts. He worked very hard to remember names and build rapport with his fellow co-workers,” said Sharon Figl, SLES Penrith Trainer.

“We’re excited that Ervin has secured work experience with Target until the end of the year. He will get to get a glimpse into working in retail, particularly during the busier periods around Christmas. We are confident that Ervin will only continue to grow as he strives towards his retail dreams.”

Find out more about Afford’s SLES program to gain practical experience to find your ideal job.