Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Social enterprise helps 77 find work in 6 months
The Wise Group, which has offices across Scotland and north-east England, came to Dundee in June.
The firm’s management organised an event at Discovery Point at which Chris van der Kuyl, chairman of 4J Studios, was guest speaker.
The Wise Group has now helped 77 people into employment after being awarded a grant of £244,676 by Dundee City Council in June to help deliver an employability project.
The council is one of the main partners in the Tele’s ongoing Let’s Get Dundee Working campaign, aimed at helping people into jobs or training.
Teenager Dale Holt spoke to the Tele about how a placement organised through the Wise Group has “transformed” his life, just months after the tragedy of losing his mum to cancer.
Dale, 19, from St Mary’s, was taken on by Advance Construction for a sixweek training course.
He said: “Before this I wasn’t really doing anything with my life, and then in February my mum died from cancer. She had always really wanted me to get a decent job.
“I got a phone call to tell me about the course, and to go to the Jobcentre for an interview, which I passed.”
After completing the course, Dale was taken on for paid work for an initial 12 weeks, but is now in his 20th week with the firm, learning different aspects of the building trade.
He said: “I’m working on a building site in Menzieshill at the moment, building the new school campus. I’m really enjoying it and learning loads.
“I hope this will be me set for the future now.
“I wasn’t very confident before but this has really helped.”
Meanwhile, a man at the other end of his working life is Dave Melville.
Dave, 61, from Kirkton, had to quit a previous distribution job through ill-health.
He applied for a care sector training course with the Wise Group, and worked his first shift with Allied Care yesterday, caring for people in their own homes.
He said: “I’ve made a change of direction I didn’t think I could do.
“It’s been great to find there are opportunities out there.”
Mr van der Kuyl, whose computer games company designed the hugelypopular Minecraft series, said: “I’ve known the Wise Group since the 1990s. I know the fantastic work they do, and it’s a delight to see them making an impact in Dundee.
“They have the right value set, because they understand that everyone in society has the potential to be great at something.”
A SOCIAL enterprise company is celebrating after helping almost 80 Dundonians into work in just six months.