A laundry crew with loads of confidence
The Bupa Christchurch laundry crew have always been experts in knowing their woollens from their linen, but they are now putting new skills into practice from a workplace literacy and numeracy programme they recently completed.
The 20 week Education Unlimited programme provided an opportunity for the four laundry staff to engage in training, become more comfortable with learning, and gain digital skills.
Michele Wessing, Bupa Laundry Services Manager says she has seen positive progress in the technical abilities of the team.
“The four staff had struggled in a couple of areas in the past but I have seen big improvements since they participated in the programme. The improvements have been in their reading, their computer literacy and in their attention to detail. These four staff were quite reserved before but they have now become much more confident in their day-to-day living and a lot more assertive in their jobs,” Ms Wessing says.
The Christchurch laundry team service four care homes around the city and pick up between 1800 and 2000 kg of washing per day. Each day the laundry is thoroughly sorted (from personal clothing to Bupa linen, delicates and knits) and the amount of machine loads and washes are monitored through basic paperwork.
Nathan Solomon, Bupa Laundry Assistant says the programme has given him self-confidence and an ability to talk in front of people.
“The course made it easy to understand things and I now have confidence to speak up. It really brought out the best in us,” Mr Solomon says.
More South Island Bupa staff are expected to take up the programme next month.
