Unemployed Londoners scoop jobs at London Mexican restaurant

8th December 2009, 8:58am

Seven unemployed Londoners have survived the credit crunch by scooping jobs at London Mexican restaurant Wahaca.

Wahaca partnered with The Prince's Trust to recruit disadvantaged Londoners for their new Canary Wharf restaurant through a two-week programme, actively targeting young people living in Centrepoint hostels.

The course, which comes at a time when one in four 18 to 24-year-olds in the capital are on the dole, gives unemployed young people training and qualifications in the cooking industry. 

It also provides an opportunity for young people to improve their employability in a safe and supportive environment. It builds skills and confidence alongside other disadvantaged young people who face the same challenges.

Single mum Shoya Nelson, 22, from Enfield was one of the lucky seven who were taken on by the company after the course finished.

She had been looking for work for over a year after becoming a mother. Trying to remain positive, she would cook dinner for everyone in her hostel each Friday night. Her key worker noticed Shoya's talent for cooking and recommended she take The Prince's Trust Get into cooking course.

Nelson said: "It was brilliant. Wahaca treated us like one of their own staff and didn't look down on us because we were new. I learnt so much from my experience there, all about teamwork and how to communicate better, key skills when working in a kitchen." 

Co founders of Wahaca Mark Selby and Thomasina Miers added: "We are delighted to be working with The Prince's Trust on their Get into Cooking programme. This is the culmination of a year's work, which aims to tackle unemployment amongst disadvantaged 18-to 25-years-old."

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