A LOVE of shopping centres has prompted Aidan Bates to find work at his local supermarket.
The 18-year-old from Victoria Point is completing work experience at Coles for a few hours a week, after receiving School Leaver Employment Supports to find work when he finished Year 12 in 2019.
Father Tony Bates said Aidan, who has autism and an intellectual disability, began work at the end of November.
"He has been tasked with placing products on the shelves and facing the labels the right way, and he has been doing that well and fairly quickly so they will start getting him to do even more," he said.
"Aiden's also been using the compactor for the cardboard boxes, which he really likes to do too."
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School Leaver Employment Supports is an early intervention approach for Year 12 school leavers to support their transition from school to employment.
Aidan's goal is to keep improving in his role and to eventually securing more hours in the near future.
When he isn't working, he loves bowling, going to the library, playing music and learning to cook.
"He likes making cakes at home and making biscuits with mum," Mr Bates said.
Aidan uses his support worker to go shopping, watch movies and get to work. The teenager also keeps busy working on his collages and playing sport.
"Aidan has always liked shopping centres. He gets on the computer and looks at all the stores around Carindale, down to Robina, and can tell you what stores are there and who's moved in, and he prints them out and makes collages of stores and laminates them," Mr Bates said.
"Aidan has fairly good hand-eye coordination so he plays in the Special Olympics teams, Saturday morning basketball and Thursday evening tennis. He likes getting to socialise with his friends and play."
While 2020 was initially challenging for Aidan, Mr Bates said everything is now falling into place.
"(It) was a slow year with COVID restrictions, but now he seems to be settled in. His week is fairly full now, so he's happy."
