CASE STUDY – Danny – Argos

Danny is a former student, and participant in our Word of Work programme. He has moderate learning difficulties and a real desire to prove himself and to find employment. He expressed an interest in retail work, and went to his first work placement at Waitrose when he was in year 11.

Danny really blossomed at Waitrose, and confirmed that retail work was definitely an area that he would like to pursue. He worked closely with a member of the Waitrose team, and showed himself to be exceptionally willing and hard-working, with great customer service skills. When Danny moved up to Post-16 we found him some more retail-based work experience at the Co-op in Thatcham, where he progressed further and developed his independence in the work place.

In his final year with us, Danny joined the WOW+ programme, which had a specific focus on finding paid employment. We identified a great job-match for him at Argos, where we felt he would use and develop his skills, and which had a great team structure and work environment.

Danny started work experience at Argos, initially supported in-store by a member of the World of Work team, but quickly progressed to working independently with the Argos team. He learnt the key elements of work very quickly, and impressed the management with his great attitude and commitment to the job.

After only a few weeks, Danny was offered part-time paid work in the store, for the Christmas season. We assisted Danny in opening a bank account, and Danny loved the experience of earning his own money and embraced his growing independence. Following Christmas, Argos were keen to retain Danny as an employee and he was offered a permanent, part-time contract. His hours were arranged around his school commitments, to enable him to continue with both his employment and his education. We continued to support Danny at school, helping him to navigate the Argos staff online systems, and ongoing communication as he became established in his role.

As Danny moved towards the end of his time in school we talked to him about his future, and he told us that he would like to build a career at Argos. We discussed this with the store, and brought up the possibility of an apprenticeship, which Argos were happy to consider. We met with the company’s apprenticeship provider, and set up meetings with Danny and his family. We also ensured the right support and adjustments were in place, within the set up, to give Danny the best chance of success.

Danny left school in July 2022, straight into a Level 2 retail apprenticeship at Argos. He is incredibly proud of his achievements and is a valued member of the Argos team.

“I never would have believed when I joined Castle School that I would be leaving here with a job, but I am.”  – Danny