Ya’halom Training Unit
Providing academic and practical training in the food service industry for adults with disabilities.
Practical training, supported by continued education and personal empowerment.
The Ya’halom Training Unit provides a protected space for adults with moderate to mild cognitive difficulties to receive training to work in the food service industry as line cooks, servers, and cashiers. In addition to skills training, the program also focuses on continued education and personal empowerment.
Program Elements
Education
- Complete basic education, including reading, writing, arithmetic, and consumerism.
- Instrumental Enrichment focused on analyzing and responding to social situations, gathering information, problem-solving, following instructions, precision, abstract thinking, comparisons, sorting, temporal relations, and logical and hypothetical thinking.
- World of work classes and workshops, which explore what a job is, why it is necessary, choosing professions, workplace hierarchy, problem-solving on the job, direct communication with supervisors and employers, the concept of salaries, and more.
- Intensive life skills, including interpersonal communication, hygiene, decision-making, problem-solving, and self-advocacy.
- Consumer skills like going to the supermarket, managing a budget, comparing prices, and understanding the value of money.
Job Training
- Vocational study on the culinary world, kitchen safety, reading and following recipes, familiarization with ingredients, working with different materials, cutting, advertising, and more.
- On-the-job training at the Feuerstein Institute Cafe, preparing hot and cold foods, making coffee using professional-grade machinery, operating the cash register, serving, clearing tables, making deliveries, and more.
Volunteer Experience
We offer volunteer opportunities for trainees who wish to work with the community or expand their talents beyond food service.
- Nursing homes: under the guidance of the employment supervisor, trainees spend time with the residents, talking and engaging in sports, gardening, and cooking activities.
- Kindergartens: trainees gain group experience working with the school staff, playing with children, reading stories, and assisting in games, crafts, and other activities.
These volunteer opportunities also enhance the trainees’ independence, navigating public transit, road safety, and social behavior.