A NEW drive-thru Costa Coffee Shop, which has sourced seven of its employees from the job centre, has opened its doors on West Point retail park.

The coffee house, which offers seating for 100 people inside and 42 outside, opened this week.

The branch’s 16 staff include seven from the job centre in St Helens, which were trained by Crosby Training.

David Norcross, manager at the new site, said: “It’s a new look store which is very bright and offers a lot of space for customers.

“Seven of our new baristas were employed through a training scheme and have been a great addition to our team.

“Our drive-thru offers fast service in three-minutes or less and all of our staff love wearing the headsets which ensure all orders are dealt with quickly.

“With development still happening elsewhere at the site many people don’t realise we are open, but we are and we look forward to welcoming new and regular customers alike.”

The stores opening hours are Monday to Saturday 5.30am to 10pm and 6am to 9pm on Sunday.

One of the new employees from the job centre, Richard Leigh, said: “I think its brilliant that a big name such as Costa have taken us on.

“The training has been full on and manic but it’s great to learn new skills and techniques as there’s a lot to take in.

“The good thing is we got trained together so we already got on ahead of starting. I am really happy to have the opportunity.”