'Mini Woolies' launches at Northern Support School

The "Mini Woolies" store has been set up at Northern Support School in Ravenswood as part of a nationwide Woolworths Program, which aims to provide the experience of actual supermarket operations.

With baskets of fresh food, shelving for groceries, ticketing, signage and uniforms, the Mini Woolies gives students a fully immersive educational experience.

Northern Support School principal Lisa Wright said the school is a pathway to the workplace of 100 students and a way for them to build social skills.

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"There is much more to the Mini Woolies than you would first think; it is such a great opportunity," Ms Wright said.

"Young students can come in here and accustom themselves to being in a supermarket environment; older students can communicate and build social, literacy and numeracy skills.

The "Northern Support School Woolworths" is the first Mini Woolies in the state, alongside another at the Southern Support School near Hobart, which both opened in tandem.

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The new stores are number 39 and 40 in the Mini Woolies program.

Ms Wright said the Mini Woolworths coordinates well with the school's other programs, such as Foods and Prepare for Work.

"They can purchase what they need for our courses which involve our industrial kitchen, and take those foods down there," Ms Wright said.

"It's an authentic experience for them that many of us take for granted; it has a broad, broad overreach for our entire school population in that way, particularly for our students with autism who are working on social skills."

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Northern Support School student Kye Barrett has been working behind the register, filling the shelves and buying his fair share of food from the Mini Woolies and said the experience was "great".

"I'm enjoying it so much; it's very, very fun," he said.

"It gives us a lot of skills."

General manager of enterprise operations and Mini Woolies at Woolworths Group, Sarah Corey, said it was wonderful to be bringing this program across the Bass Strait for the first time.

"The skills students will learn in their new Mini Woolies will equip them with the confidence and knowledge of retail operations in an exciting way," Ms Corey said.

"It's a great example of how together we can create better experiences for a better tomorrow."

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