Members of the Job Club at West Caldwell Hub began their six-week prevocational training at The Office Tavern & Grill in East Hanover as part of a partnership between The Arc of Essex County and the 40 North Restaurant Group.

Five WCHUB day program participants attended their first training session at The Office on April 25, where they received uniform shirts and tied on restaurant aprons before taking notes on the types of tasks they might be asked to complete in a restaurant setting. Kendra Mohan, the district manager for 40 North Restaurants, then led the group around the restaurant, teaching them about how to set and bus tables and how to keep the restaurant clean for patrons. The group then entered the kitchen area, where manager Anthony Watson taught them how to roll silverware into cloth napkins, the first of several such assignments they will practice in the coming weeks.

The Job Club gives participants an opportunity to job sample, practice workplace protocol, and learn specific skills through real-world vocational experiences. At WCHUB, the group equips themselves for their training sessions by role playing, discussing workplace norms, and completing other preparation work. The goal of the club is for participants to be exposed to real-world vocational experiences, and The Arc of Essex County thanks the 40 North Restaurant Group for their support in this initiative.