Local employment opportunities

EMPLOYERS SEEKING new talent should consider launching a recruitment drive in the coming weeks as thousands of D&A College students complete their courses and compete for work. Last year as many as 5000 people successfully completed their chosen programmes – around 50% graduating from full-time courses.

D&A staff actively engage with industry leaders to match employers with potential employees. The college also works closely with public bodies, such as local authorities and Jobcentre plus, to identify skills shortages and rectify any such deficits before their effects are felt in terms of recruitment.

An example of this was a recent chef recruitment event at the Kingsway where representatives from the catering, hospitality and tourism industry could witness for themselves the skills and proficiency of both first and second year professional cookery students and see demonstrations by chef lecturers.

“Students on the level 3 professional cookery programme were finishing that week and while many of them had already secured employment, the event offered an opportunity to showcase their skills,” said Louisa Kingham, head of hospitality, retail and tourism.

“At the same time industry representatives enjoyed the chance to see for themselves the talent on offer in terms of future employees.”

The event was run in partnership with Dundee City Council and was partly due to the fact that, having undertaken research involving local employers to identify the training needs of those businesses and organisations involved in hospitality industry, a potential shortfall of skills had been identified in terms of chef recruitment in future.

“With Dundee and the surrounding area set to enjoy a visitor boom in the coming years – the V&A Dundee project and the Waterfront development being two major attractions in the pipeline – staff at D&A College are taking steps to ensure the skills needed to deal with an influx of tourists are available,” commented Louisa.

The same can be said of the construction team at D&A College who arranged an employers’ visit day recently in a bid to demonstrate the skills of those on construction craft courses and, at the same time, show off the cutting edge facilities in which these students and apprentices work.

“Before the V&A and the waterfront development can bring a positive impact to the city in terms of a growth in jobs in hospitality, the actual fabric must be built, which will have a positive impact on employment in the construction industry,” said a college spokesperson. “By engaging with employers now, D&A College is helping ensure a secure future in terms of meeting employers’ needs.”

Louisa Kingham, D&A College head of hospitality, retail and tourism.