Desert Rose Design, a floral shop and café in Othello, has experienced impressive growth over the past few years. Even COVID didn’t slow things down and business owner, Melody, needed to find help fast. Recruiting and hiring skilled staff was a real challenge, especially in a very competitive hiring environment. Melody called SkillSource looking for help. She received helpful information about job training options for both youth and adults and was provided with referrals to her open positions.
As it happened, Melody had met a youth with lots of potential but very little work experience. A recent high school graduate, Ebony wanted to learn and grow a career and was interested in floral design. Her attitude and willingness were strong, but she lacked work maturity and career exposure.
Ebony qualified for both the Youth and Adult training programs. After completing assessments, SkillSource determined that a Youth Work Experience would be a great first step in her career development. Satisfied with the maturity, growth and work ability she displayed over 300 hours of work, Desert Rose Design offered Ebony a full-time job as a Floral Designer/Barista.
While she made impressive gains in her Youth Work Experience, there was still a lot to learn in a full-time role. Ebony was co-enrolled as an Adult customer. In reviewing the gap in the position and Ebony’s skills, it was determined additional support in the form of an On-the-Job Training would help build continued success and help reach the goal of unsubsidized employment.
Ebony enjoys working in the flower shop assisting with floral arrangements, bouquets, orders, and deliveries. She also helps with the growing business’s café grand opening. She trained as a barista and took on additional responsibilities after the café opened to the public. Ebony worked to master her social media marketing skills, helping promote Desert Rose Designs online and driving traffic to the store. She even models the boutique’s clothing!
Desert Rose Designs had a clear problem and Ebony was the solution. They needed a skilled and diverse team member, able to work in a variety of roles with great dependability and creativity. Ebony certainly fit that need and more! Ebony enjoys working at Desert Rose Designs; it’s a perfect fit for her, with the friendly environment, great coworkers and a flexible and encouraging supervisor. Melody and the Desert Rose team have provided Ebony with growth and development opportunities that will be invaluable to her career and long-term success. Congratulations on helping each other to bloom brightly, Ebony and Desert Rose Design!
