Well, it is week two here at Medtia and we have kicked off with a bang! This week Colin, one of our job coaches, visited The Whitegate Pub – you may recall Abdul, one of last year’s Future Finders students, getting a full time paid job there last year..

Colin nipped in to see how Abdul was getting on and the manager said he is one of the best members of staff that they have ever had and that they have nominated him for a number of awards within the company. Furthermore, he said that there are more jobs coming up at the pub and could we please ‘Send more Abduls!’ Now this really is a fantastic achievement for our team and is testament to the hard work of our young people who are paving the way for future students to get jobs with large employers. Well done Abdul, and good luck to the three Future Finders who will be going to The Whitegate for a work trial next week! Let’s get some more jobs!!!

Our pre-internship job coaches Genna and Maria have also made an excellent start with our new pathway. We have now set up a number of brand new placements including placements at the RSPCA animal shelter. We have never had placements working with animals before and it is always a popular area for our students. 4 of our young people will start work at the shelter on Tuesday and will be based there for 3 days a week until Christmas. Good luck to you all! Also a big well done to Stephen who has already done a week’s work at the Premier Inn, Chadderton – another new placement host for us and he is making a huge impression, already working independently in his role as a housekeeper.

Although Horizons now have their own blog here, I would like to inform you that our team of job coaches here at Medtia are now supporting a number of young people over the week who are in the Horizons employability group. Our first worker of the week for this year goes to Yvonne who was extremely nervous about ‘going to work’ and wasn’t sure it was for her. On Monday, she had her first shift at The Atrium Café working front of house……..and within an hour was serving customers and running the till independently. Well done, Yvonne!

Our pre-internship students had a visitor this week, Lucy from Young Enterprise, to help them launch their very own business. They will be setting up a company to sell handmade goods which they will be selling at The Trafford Centre and the Manchester Christmas Markets. They are extremely excited! Good luck….shares of the business will be on sale soon!

Now to introduce you to our Future Finders class of 2017/2018 who are about to start placements across Greater Manchester, including at Manchester Metropolitan University, a new hair salon, Oldham Coliseum, Oldham Library, Premier Inn and another new host employer, Nando’s. We know they’ll all work really hard..

We have also finally got a full time placement at Tesco for David. David made such a huge impression last year in his half a day work placement that they have agreed to have him on placement for 4 days a week ……..and he has just been invited to apply for a paid position, supported by a glowing reference from the Greenfield store general manager. Well done, David!

Activ8 have really got back into their swing this week, accessing the gym at OCL, getting back into work on the rugby field and also visiting Spring Brook to do some work on the trampoline..

The focus for the first term as a sport is Rugby league, so they are looking at all the aspects of being a rugby player. In the gym they are focusing on the strength needed for rugby. They’re looking into diet plans and nutrition and how to fuel their bodies while also concentrating on the tackling basics of the game. They went to Hollinwood Cricket Club on Wednesday, the home of Limehurst Lions Rugby League club who have very kindly allowed Activ8 to use their facilities again this year, to look at how to tackle and fall safely..

Digit4ll have been busy settling in to the first full week back. They have welcomed two new post 16 students, Hasnain and Jordan, to the group who we know will fit in perfectly to the IT Pathway at Medtia. They had a remarkable end to the last academic year which resulted in their film and printing enterprise winning at the National Young Enterprise Awards (more here if you missed it). They even got in the local newspaper!!! Take a look..

However, they’re not resting on their laurels. A new group of students, some a little more experienced now, but it’s back to the drawing board. Their first tasks: a product to sell, a logo to design and a name for their new enterprise venture. Here are some of the students starting work on designing some logos..

We’ll keep you updated on how they’re getting on!

Don’t forget that our New Bridge branch of Andy’s Man Club still meets at 4pm every Monday at Medtia for our students aged 16 and older – we’ve heard there are always plenty of biscuits to be had! Our New Bridge branch has also led to the formation of the new Oldham Andy’s Man Club which is open to everyone in the community and meets at Oldham Leisure Centre every Monday at 7pm #itsokaytotalk

Have a wonderful weekend,

Daniel
Director of Employment & Co Head of Site at Medtia Square

You can view our previous blog entries here

Click here for this week’s news from Graham