The Plumbing Store is a complete plumbing and bathroom specialty store and an independently owned New Zealand company. Fiona has been working part-time in the Showroom since Feb 2011. She has always had an interest in plumbing having recently worked towards the Pre-Trade Certificate in Plumbing through Weltec. Fiona’s role as a Showroom cleaner means that she gets to be in an environment which she is enthusiastic about, she says this helps to ‘boost her interest’.
Michelle is Fiona’s Supervisor and the Showroom and Marketing Executive at The Plumbing Store; she says that as an organisation they have always been committed to being part of the local community. Michelle believes that employing Fiona reflects well on the Store’s image, showing their ethos of equal opportunities to their regular clientele. Inviting Fiona to social events such as their Christmas function also sends a message to their staff and customers alike, about their commitment to inclusivity. Fiona agrees saying that The Plumbing Store are “good employers” and she feels like part of the team.
The Plumbing Store like Emerge is a Wellington based organisation; Michelle highlights the way that they endeavour to support the Wellington community through different joint ventures- “we believe it’s important to foster partnerships throughout the wider Wellington area”. She says that they have employed people with disabilities in the past, but they haven’t been assisted by a Supported Employment agency like Emerge. She says that it has been of great help to both her and Fiona having Emerge involved, from the initial phases where we helped train Fiona and supported her with her time management, to the continuous guidance and support Emerge offers. We also act as a liaison with family and support providers which ensure the professionalism of Fiona’s relationship with Michelle and The Plumbing Store more generally.
Fiona says “having some paid employment helps me to be more independent and do my own thing”.If you want to find out more about The Plumbing Store then please click on the link below to have a look at their Website.
