Student Store Celebrates First Anniversary

The Chicken Run in St Albans was launched in December 2009 on the grounds of Oaklands College as part of a work placement project, intended to give pupils hands-on experience of running their own business.

The store sell eggs from chickens, ducks, geese and guinea fowls reared by the students, and has recently started selling homemade chutney, apples, logs and kindling, sourced from offcuts donated by the college’s carpentry department.

“We encourage all of our pupils to get work experience, but those with learning difficulties find it difficult to get involved because they need supervision,” says Zoe Hyde, a tutor at Oaklands College. “The recession has made this even more of a problem because small, local business just don’t have the time or manpower to take on our students,” she continues.

Getting involved in the farm shop is intended to improve their interpersonal, money handling and organisational skills, and prepare them for work in later life. “It’s wonderful to see how enthusiastic the students are. They love being able to get involved in the entire process – from looking after the chickens and collecting the eggs, to eventually selling them and calculating the profits. As well as giving them invaluable work experience, it also teaches them the importance of sustainable living, ” adds Ms Hyde.

The scheme is sponsored by local pub and restaurant company the Orchid Group, which has invested £1,000 into the running of the shop. All money generated from the sale of eggs, plants and hanging baskets is spent on keeping the poultry and producing more stock to sell, while 50% of proceeds from the logs and kindling is donated to Cancer Research.