Quest are delighted to announce that the Winter Leavers Programme which we have delivered over the past 4 years in partnership with City Development and Education will be going ahead in 2011. This programme involves the Winter leavers coming to Quest on a Wednesday from September to December to develop confidence, motivation, presentation skills, achieve a qualification in Employability and PX2(Pathways to Success) and attend a residential and work experience placement. As well as this they have to run a business. The aim of the programme is to encourage positive destinations and last year we had 100% success, with the group being the most successful in raising money for their business idea and also achieving a fantastic 100% attendance. The stars from last year…

Funding Available

Now the exciting part is that you or your company might just qualify for funding to pay for the training
FLEXIBLE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES funding from Skills Development Scotland
(which is likely to finish in March 2011)

- businesses with 75 employees can apply
- 10 episodes of training are permitted per business
- training can be completed and invoiced before the end of the financial year
- up to 10 separate applications can be submitted.

This programme will refund 50% of the cost of up to 10 training courses – worth up to £500 per course. So if the training costs £1200, it will refund £500. If it costs £300, it will refund £150 – it effectively means you could double your training investment. Anyone from sole traders to businesses with fewer than 75 employees can apply for up to £5000 towards training costs.

Interested?

Call 0800 783 6000 or visit www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/flexible-training.aspx

Dragon's Den

A group of pupils attending our MYQuest New Enterprise Programme recently completed a Dragon's Den to raise money for their charity lunch event.

Audrey Milne, Training Officer, says "To build their entrepreneurial skills, they are holding a Christmas lunch, and part of the challenge is to make it profitable, with a percentage of money going to the charity Dreamz 4 U. They are holding a Dragon's Den to start off the initial cash flow so they can purchase the food required"

Pictures and Text Courtesy of Dundee Evening Telegraph

Quest starts working with the Energy Saving Trust

Quest are delighted to be working with the Energy Saving Trust in the design and delivery of Doorstep Engagement training for Assessors, for the Home Insulation Scheme.

The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation that provides free and impartial advice on how to stop wasting energy. The Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) is an area based intitiative targeting different local authority areas throughout Scotland.

Householders are offered free, impartial energy advice and all households receive a home energy check. For eligible householders insulation measures are offered at discounted price. The assessors are the people who knock on the doors and Quest has designed an interesting programme including
• Establishing rapport and making a great first impression
• Communicating effectively
• What to say and not to say
• Considering other factors such as disability, ethnicity, language and asking for sensitive information
• Bringing the sale together
• Considering how to stay motivated

Quest have worked with Ruth Gibson from the Energy Saving Trust to design a workshop that is interactive and fun but also focused on making difference after the event. The activities include a board game, some stop/start case studies and turning negatives into positives.

The first workshop this month is in Orkney followed by one in Aberdeen in August. There will then be a roll out across Scotland.

myQuest 2009 programme

The myQuest 2009 programme finished in December with a presentation to our young people, from the Lord Provost. Each student actually presented a wee bit about what they had done during the 22 week programme and what they had learned. A shield from Discover Opportunities was presented to the schools, and each young person received a share of the profit from the lunch event they successfully organised. Thanks to Franny and Shona for delivering a successful programme and Caroline Morgan from City Development and Kenny McKeown from Education Development Service for being a huge support throughout the 3 years of the programme.

In our first full year of having joined forces with ICD Partnerhsip Ltd who offer Customer Experience Strategy Consultancy, we have been delighted to work with the Housing Department of Dundee City Council. Beginning with support to their staff conference we are now working with managers and staff to engage their people in an ambitious programme of change through continuous improvement and focusing their culture around customers.

It was our privilege to meet this year's award winners at the conference, recognised by their peers for the good work they had done in teams and individually, as managers and fund raising for others. We add our congratulations to them and hope that this inspires a new crop of nominees to go the extra mile in 2010.

SKIING AT KINGENNIE

The Employability Team from Dundee United Football Club came for a day of teambuilding at Kingennie Country Resort. Initially we thought it would be an indoor day because of all the snow but in fact it resulted in a great opportunity to experience Kingennie at its best. Inside the training room we had the wood burning stove on and outside we completed a treasure trail and team skis in the sunshine and snow. The pics show how lovely it was.

A GROUP of pupils from seven Dundee secondary schools joined forces to plan and deliver a special festive lunch as part of the MYQUEST programme.

The winter school leavers from St John's, Menzieshill and Craigie High Schools along with St Paul's, Braeview, Morgan and Harris Academies, have been working since the summer with local training company, Quest Scotland Ltd.

Each week, as part of the More Choices More Chances programme, the pupils have been learning about business skills, receiving advice and support from the Helm Employment and Training Group and Fairbridge in Dundee to help develop their confidence and life skills.

Areas including profit and loss, cash flow and turnover have been studied so that the preparation and implementation of the lunch goes to plan.

Convener of Dundee City Council's city development committee, Will Dawson who opened the lunch today who was among a number of VIP guests said: "The hard work and effort that these 15 young people have put in to organising every aspect of this event will help to increase their self-esteem, confidence, team building skills and awareness of the world of work.

"The activities they have taken part in have raised their aspirations while developing new skills and we hope it will go a long way to helping to open up more opportunities for their future."

Dundee City Council's economic development and education departments successfully bid for funding from the Big Lottery and appointed Quest Scotland Ltd to deliver the programme.

A donation of sweets and toiletries from the proceeds of the lunch event will go to the Dundee branch of Action for Children.