Building employability through real-world work experience
Strengthening job readiness through work experience placemen at Reading Cinemas Maitland
Jayden joined Mai-Wel Academy to deepen his understanding of the workforce and gain practical experience. With encouragement from his support worker, he approached the team at Reading Cinemas Maitland to ask about work experience. The answer was yes, and a structured 12-week placement was arranged to align with Jayden’s interests in retail and customer service.
Reading Cinemas Maitland welcomed Jayden into a structured environment that supports safe learning and clear standards.
Why this matters for Jayden’s goals
Work experience is a key step in Jayden’s goal to build employability. The placement provides evidence of workplace capability, helps him test his interest in customer-facing roles, and gives him stories and referees for future applications. Most importantly, it is growing his confidence to participate in the workforce.
“I really enjoy it here. I’m excited about this,” Jayden said.
This opportunity is a great example of how Mai-Wel Academy connects learning with workplace expectations so Jayden can practise, reflect and improve each shift.
Learning on the job
This experience is giving Jayden the confidence to engage with customers, the awareness to work safely and the know-how to contribute as part of a team.
As part of his placement, Jayden is:
- Learning general cinema duties such as customer assistance, venue presentation and back-of-house tasks
- Practising communication with staff and patrons in a busy environment
- Building routine, time management and reliability across shifts
- Developing professionalism, including following instructions, meeting standards and seeking feedback
- Together, these skills translate into reliability, service readiness and a stronger resume.
We were so impressed with how Jayden took the initiative to seek out the opportunity with support from Mai-Wel Academy and is now building confidence, customer service skills and workplace professionalism.
Thank you to Reading Cinemas Maitland for welcoming Jayden and providing a supportive environment for on-the-job learning.
Want to know more?
Discover how Mai-Wel Academy helps young people develop skills and confidence for employment.
