Heng Shirley, 32, works as an Assistant Baker at Metta Café. Diagnosed with mild intellectual disability, Shirley graduated from Metta School with an ITE Skills Certificate in Food Preparation.
She worked at a café & cake house after leaving school, where she was tasked with making Chinese-style pastries filled with bean paste. Overtime, she developed an interest in baking. Wanting to expand her baking skills, Shirley eventually left the cake house to join Metta Café.
To provide more opportunities for Shirley to learn different baking techniques, Metta sponsored her to pursue a professional course in baking at the Baking Industry Training College (BITC) Singapore.
At Metta Café, Shirley’s duties range from baking cookies & cakes to organising retail products display. She also mentors Metta School students who are outplaced at café for on-the-job trainings. “Metta Café has given me the space to learn more things and improve my baking skills. This is something which I would enjoy doing in my life,” she said. Shirley will continue honing her skills so that she can become a baker one day.
