19 November 2024
South Metropolitan TAFE (SM TAFE) is the first vocational training provider in Western Australia to be home to a ‘Mini Woolies’ training facility, which will help people with disability gain skills to enter and participate in the workplace.
Thanks to Woolworths Group, students now have a Mini Woolies simulated supermarket to train in at our Bentley campus.
It was a historic day when Mini Woolies launched at SM TAFE, which is the very first TAFE in Western Australia to benefit from a set-up-shop on campus.
The products on the shelves are real, the uniforms are real, the price-points are real, and the check-outs are real, giving students a real-world taste of what it is like to work in a supermarket.
From customer entry into the shop, grabbing and filling a basket, and paying for products with educational money at the Fujitsu provided register, the environment emulates the Woolworths experience from start to finish. The iconic Woolies branding saturates the space and there’s even the ‘free fruit for kids’ station at the entry to the site.
To study in the Mini Woolies environment, students choose a specific Retail Pathway of the 52875WA Certificate I in Gaining Access to Training and Employment (GATE), which is a course designed to help develop personal, social and employability skills for the workforce.
The course offers accessible foundation skills training, providing opportunities for under-represented groups to access training, regardless of their background or the barriers they may face.
SM TAFE Managing Director, Darshi Ganeson, said that the launch of Mini Woolies was an impactful development for training provision at Bentley campus, changing the fabric of the learning environment for future generations of students with disability.
“SM TAFE is incredibly proud to be the first Western Australian vocational training provider to partner with the Woolworths group to provide this simulated retail training experience for our students. Mini Woolies provides a safe, comfortable, and lifelike environment for students with disability to learn literacy, numeracy, communication and personal skills whilst growing confidence for the workforce.
“The excitement and passion for this project from end-to-end from our managers, lecturers, students and the Woolies team has been a force of dedication and inspiration, which in turn has a positive flow-on effect to day-to-day delivery and success of the program."
Darshi Ganeson
South Metropolitan TAFE Managing Director
Mini Woolies SM TAFE at Bentley campus was officially opened on 6 November 2024 by Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk and Disability Services Minister Don Punch, with SM TAFE students showcasing the complete shopping experience.
Since 2018, more than 6,000 people with disability throughout Australia and New Zealand have had the opportunity to train in a Mini Woolies facility.
On behalf of the team at SM TAFE, we extend a warm thank you to Woolworths Group and Fujitsu and congratulate our Foundational Skills team on the launch of Mini Woolies. We wish students all the very best as they undertake training to get set with specialised skills for life.
Want to train in our new Mini Woolies?
The 52875WA Certificate I in Gaining Access to Training and Employment (GATE) is an introductory course which will help you enhance employment opportunities by developing skills in numeracy, literacy and communication. The course runs for a semester and will cost students approximately $205.
The Mini Woolies (Retail Pathway) program will provide hands-on experience in customer service and teach skills in organising and maintaining a store environment.
Mini Woolies at SM TAFE is set up to simulate a Woolworths store to help students learn while having access to two registers (one being wheelchair-accessible ), realistic store shelving, fresh food displays, signage and the iconic green shopping baskets.
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Check out the 52875WA Certificate I in Gaining Access to Training and Employment (GATE).(opens in a new tab)
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Mini Woolies offers students a simulated retail training environment.
Celebrating the launch of Mini Woolies, which will set up students with real skills for years to come.
SM TAFE is proud to partner with Woolworths Group to provide Mini Woolies.
The entry to Mini Woolies SM TAFE at Bentley campus.
Students can learn in a safe, realistic and lifelike environment.
Mini Woolies is complete with uniforms, signage, shopping baskets and registers.