David is the cream of the crop
A Nuneaton man with learning disabilities has swapped places with his boss at a leading dairy company, thanks to a county council employment scheme.
Forty-year-old David Stringer swapped his job as a packer at Dairy Crest in Nuneaton with one of the company’s team leaders, Phil Bryan.
The project was co-ordinated by Warwickshire County Council’s Aim 4 employment service which co-ordinates job opportunities and training for people with learning disabilities in Nuneaton.
David, who has a learning disability, became team leader for a day, checking attendance and health and safety procedures and supervising some of the 25 staff based at the Bermuda Park business. Meanwhile, his supervisor Phil Bryan spent the day on the shop floor working as a packer.
Julian Barnett, employment officer for the County Council’s Aim 4 employment service, said that the idea of job swapping was to help people to mutually understand the experiences of different people in the community.
Julian said: “Having paid work raises peoples self esteem and gives people a valuable role. This is important for people with learning disabilities, and having a paid job has made a big difference for David. Having the opportunity to be supervisor for the day gave David a good insight into a different role within the company.”
David said: “I enjoy working at Dairy Crest and swapping roles with Phil helped me understand the responsibilities involved in being a supervisor – I’m glad I don’t do it every day!”
Phil Bryan, Team Leader at Dairy Crest, Nuneaton, said: “I was delighted to get involved. David has worked with us for two years and in that time my understanding of people with disabilities has changed a great deal. David is a valuable member of our team.”