SYDNEY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- One of Australia's largest supermarket chains, Coles, has set up a fully functioning "practice" supermarket at a school for the disabled to help students develop life skills and gain work experience.

The school, St Lucy's, in Sydney's north, specializes in education for young people with a broad range of disabilities including autism, sensory impairments and intellectual disability.

The on-campus supermarket set up by Coles and announced on Wednesday would allow junior school students to practice shopping by themselves and take on guided work experience.

Principal of St Lucy's School David Raphael said the initiative was a great way for students and teachers to learn and teach in an authentic and familiar setting.

"Coles at St Lucy's provides a safe environment to teach our students about safety in the workplace and to develop the important skills needed for effective communication, collaboration, and interpersonal relationships in the workplace and beyond," said Raphael.

The project is part of the supermarket's wider goal of championing accessibility and disability inclusion.

Coles General Manager and co-chair of the Coles Accessibility Steering Committee, Martin Smithson, said the supermarket is designed to provide the students with real-life practical skills that would lead to pathways for employment.

"Gainful employment is a pathway to security and autonomy and as one of the country's largest employers, we know we have an important role to play," said Smithson.

Coles employs over 3,000 people with disability, around three percent of its total workforce, and provides accommodative pathways to jobs for the disabled. Enditem

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