Our 5-week Cookie Project teaches essential barista, baking, business and hospitality skills but most importantly helps to develop confidence, self-esteem and self-belief within each student. The project takes place at the Forge on the Green Coffee shop on a Thursday, when it is closed to the public. This provides a quiet, safe environment for students to gain access to work place skills, become used to the new sounds, the equipment and to start to feel confident to communicate with new, unfamiliar adults. Over the 5 weeks the profits from every cookie sold at the Forge on the Green goes towards a positive impact project chosen by the students. To date over £1500 has gone back to the students’ projects within their schools.

We offer supported work placements at the Forge on the Green to students attending local specialist schools. Placements offered range from 2 weeks up to a year long. Working together with the students, listening to and learning from each individual, we create a bespoke learning plan. We then work with the Forge on the Green team to make any adjustments or adaptations required in the coffee shop environment or day to day operations. This creates a truly inclusive first workplace experience that empowers young people and adults to feel successful and be ambitious about their futures.

Our bespoke Barista Skills training programme develops the foundation knowledge, skills and techniques required to be fantastic Barista. Working alongside fully accredited SCA trainers and coffee experts, we have devised a curriculum that provides our trainees with the support, time, adaptations and meaningful resources to work towards achieving the internationally recognised SCA Barista Skills Foundation Qualification.