A new cafe is providing people with disabilities with valuable experience in the hospitality industry, while giving customers some delicious treats.
Sunshine Coast charity The Compass Institute has partnered with Caloundra City Autos, to open Compass Cafe inside the dealership.
People with disabilities who attend Compass have the chance to gain real-world vocational experience in the field of hospitality and to connect with their local community.
The cafe is one of many social enterprises run by the institute, which are designed to provide valuable training and skill-building opportunities across many fields including hospitality, retail, catering and arts and crafts.
Compass Institute Head of Business and Growth Sandra Brodie said their latest venture was a promising one.
“We are so grateful to be able to partner with Caloundra City Autos to offer more hands-on opportunities for the young people we support,” she said.
“Compass Cafe will provide a valuable training ground for our trainees, and for many, it will serve as a stepping-stone to some of our larger social enterprise cafes.”
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Dealer Principal at Caloundra City Autos, Dan Hunt, said the business was delighted to be involved.
“To have the opportunity to assist Compass in providing just another avenue for these young people to get into the workforce and give joy and happiness to our customers and the greater Caloundra community is just a privilege for Caloundra City Autos,” he said.
The café is located inside the Caloundra City Autos dealership, at 44 Caloundra Road, Caloundra. Coffee and cake is served from Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 2pm.
