Carrie also emphasized the importance of helping students learn how to be an employee. Although the coffee shop was a different environment than most of the job placements, the students were actively engaged in experiences that allowed them to develop skills for a variety of placement sites. Carrie said, "They are able to draw on their skills from the coffee shop, obviously, or else they wouldn't be successful in their placement." For most students in the program, the employment placement is their first job experience. Carrie summarized her focus as an instructor in the coffee shop.

The focus is teaching a specific task, teaching a job, following directions, working together, asking questions. Then the softer skills are the judgments, making judgments, problem-solving, and critical thinking. But in order to run a business, you have to have the bricks, you have to lay the groundwork.

Students expressed a variety of ways of understanding the learning that occurred in the coffee shop. On a direct and concrete level, they gave animated details about the way they ran the coffee shop, such as the way they baked, what they baked, who did what, their problems, successes, and many more details about the coffee shop's day-to-day operation. They also discussed the practical skills they acquired (such as operating the cash register or using a commercial coffee maker), and the numeracy and literacy abilities they acquired (such as reading recipes and abbreviations), and using measuring cups. They also discussed their employment readiness skills, such as preparing for an interview and workplace safety. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they talked about how their experience in the coffee shop has made them feel more confident.

Hannah said the most important thing she learned in the coffee shop was to use the cash register independently. This will be the skill, she explained, that she will depend on to help her find a part-time job. The other things she learned included baking muffins and cookies, reading recipes, and learning to read carefully. She explained, "A lot of stuff looks alike, like teaspoon and tablespoon. It's tsp, then b, something like that. Little differences. Baking powder and baking soda, something like that. We have to be careful." In addition, she said she has learned about workplace safety. "I knew some but I also learn about something new. This morning I learn about hearing. When something is very loud, it can affect you. You can lose your hearing. I didn't know that before."