Park House Barns, nestled in the tranquil landscapes of North Yorkshire serves as a training and placement hub for young adults, focusing on chocolate crafting.
Our aim is to support individuals in building confidence, skills and qualifications within a nurturing environment.
An Integrated Approach To Training and Employment
In September 2024, we brought all of our social enterprises together under one roof, enabling us to offer more cohesive and comprehensive support.
At our new location, we work in partnership with trainees to create a variety of products, including chocolate crafting, packaging, and administration.
Our Chocolate Studio serves as a dynamic training space where trainees gain hands-on experience, building essential work skills. Alongside this, our internal Employment Support team provides personalised guidance to help individuals build confidence, gain real-world experience, and achieve their personal goals. Our dedicated team is here to support you every step of the way.
Skill Development and Hands On Training
The enterprise is designed to cater to a diverse range of abilities, offering various roles such as chocolate crafting, decorating, packaging, as well as opportunities in administration and customer service.
For those undecided about their career paths, our programmes provide a valuable exploration of different fields, accompanied by the chance to pursue qualifications and develop new skills.
For anyone that is unsure of what they want to do, Park House Barns offers a valuable taster into different areas of work, with the chance to work to qualifications and learn new skills in areas such as:
- Administration
- Customer Service
- Qualifications
- Food Safety and Hygiene
- Practical Chocolate Making Skills
- Packing and Shipping
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Our Primary Goal
Our Primary Goal is to facilitate employment opportunities for trainees, whether within our enterprise or the wider local business community. Each individual follows a personalised pathway, tailored to their aspirations, which includes working towards their desired qualifications.
The enterprise has been designed to offer a variety of roles for different levels of ability, from crafting, decorating and packaging chocolate, to administration and customer service.
Chocolate Skills Academy
The Chocolate Skills Academy, located at Park House Barns in Knaresborough is a unique programme for young adults with autism and learning disabilities to explore the world of handcrafted chocolate making. This programme blends the art and science of chocolate production with personal and professional development, offering participants an enriching, hands-on experience in a supportive environment.
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Make An Enquiry
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Meet Jonny!
Jonny first came to Park House Barns when he was attending Harrogate College developing his Personalised Learning Plan. He was initially introduced to Easi Works, an Autism Plus social enterprise offering vocational placements in horticulture and hospitality in Easingwold, North Yorkshire.
He visited Park House Barns a few years ago as part of a group taster session with Easi Works, helping with chocolate production and packaging. He enjoyed it so much he continued to visit once a week. Since finishing college, Jonny has been visiting Park House Barns two days a week to continue to develop his skills around health and safety, chocolate manufacturing, and helping outside in the field growing fruit and vegetables, as well as helping out in the office. He is also responsible for the chocolate packaging for hotels, shops and passing trade.
Through learning to make chocolate, Jonny’s confidence has increased along with his coordination. ‘I made easter eggs this year, making them beautiful, and am also responsible for packing orders, weighing, counting and measuring. I enjoy everything about being at the Barns, particularly using the molds and when I get to each chocolate!’ Jonny has opportunities to experience new things that he wouldn’t normally try, and feels supported and confident to have a go at anything!
“It was extremely helpful having Autism Plus workplace assessment to help us in working with an individual diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, giving us a better insight of the syndrome so we could offer more appropriate support. The assessor was knowledgeable, understanding of the circumstances from a business perspective and really tried having a full overview of the situation. The report came back to us within the promised time frame and full of recommendations on how to best accommodate the individual needs, which was really thorough and supportive.”
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