Well, this week started with our first ever Medtia Council meeting, with representatives from each of our pathways and from our Future Finders Employability College. It was absolutely fantastic to hear some of the feedback and the ideas that our students came up with. Some of the issues they raised were:

• Digit4ll would like lockers
• Lumenus would like a Medtia hamster!
• Students would like coat hangers in classrooms
• Students would like to set up a rota for the pool table at lunch times
• Students would like paper towels in all bathrooms

There is certainly lots for me to think about there. I look forward to responding to the group in next half term’s meeting!

This week we have a bit of a round robin with updates from our pathway groups, so over to our fantastic staff…

Lumenus

Phew!!! What a half term!! The students have worked incredibly hard and quickly adapted to the new spaces at Medtia and Oldham Theatre Workshop.

We have begun our accreditation work which includes working to a brief and developing acting skills. We are devising a piece of theatre for primary children to encourage confidence and self-worth and the theme is ‘Heroes.’ The students have already engaged in an improvisation workshop delivered by Craig Harris, Applied Theatre Practitioner from OTW which has given them lots of ideas for characterisation and devising..

On Wednesdays we have been meeting up with Lumenus 4 at OTW. In the morning we have been working and delivering games to Chrysalis, an adult disabled theatre company. The students have really enjoyed taking part in their sessions and have the opportunity to lead some workshops themselves..

The afternoons have been dedicated to performance skills and creating proposals for the school show after Easter. Lumenus have created presentations for three shows which the School Council will make the decision upon. The choices are ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘The Greatest Showman’ and ‘Hairspray.’ Watch this space………….
…… and breathe ……..

Pre-Internship

For our Pre-Internship students, the past eight weeks have been exciting, diverse, challenging but most of all they have been rewarding. At the start of their placements the students learnt the basic routines and job tasks, as well as getting to know their managers and co-workers. Here’s an update on how our students have progressed over the past couple of months..

• David Lloyd Gym

Luka has learnt the job tasks needed for working front of house and has become really comfortable working with the public. He also helps support the other students on their work placements, taking the lead by showing them how to do certain jobs. Luka has also been assisting the staff this week by making protein smoothies and he is interested in making more specialised drinks for the customers..

Georgina, the Restaurant Supervisor, says, ‘The customers are fond of Luka and see him as a good worker and a popular with the regular customers attending David Lloyd.’

Dylan has started to learn how to do Personal Training and create fitness plans with Helen, one of the permanent Personal Trainers at David Lloyd Clubs. Staff working with Dylan have been impressed with how confident Dylan has become with communicating with other members of staff and the customers..

Fahad started off just working on the pot wash in the kitchens and now he works alongside another member of staff cleaning in different departments of David Lloyd and is trusted to clean certain areas of the gym independently. His co-worker Clem said, ‘Fahad is a good worker, he is very efficient.’

• RSPCA Animal Centre

Zanub, Charlie, Kieran and Tom have continued to make great progress at the RSPCA. They have all learnt the importance of non-verbal communication and are more confident writing the animal behaviour observations..

• Atrium Café

Josie, Kam and Rezaul have been still been doing their usual jobs but have also been developing their communication skills, like talking appropriately to each other, talking on the telephone taking messages and providing customer service with a smile. The students have worked really hard and are always enthusiastic about going to work in the café.

• Beefeater Whitegate Inn

Jason has been working at the Whitegate Inn on Broadway. Jason’s communication with both his job coaches as well as the staff at the Whitegate is really improving. This week Keith has commented on how well Jason’s communication has improved and how is he now having a laugh with the staff in the kitchen. Jason has also progressed from using the pot wash and cleaning to food preparation..

• We would also like to give a special mention to Robert and all the staff from the Music Service at the Lyceum in Oldham.

They have been all amazing in supporting Steven throughout his work placement with them, which allowed Steven not only to develop his employability skills but also gave him the opportunity to work in an area that he loved..

Digit4ll

Somehow we have gone from the start of September to the end of October in a flash! Looking back at what has happened in the first two months of the school year, I can see the Digit4ll pathway, as always, has just grown from strength to strength. As well as taking part in the core subjects, the students have already filmed events, produced some canvas prints and created the foundations for this year’s business, Sea Clear..

What starts with us sitting down as a group, firing off ideas about what we should do before turning those ideas into reality never ceases to impress. The students have all taken on specific roles in our business….but I will pass over to this year’s director, Jordan, to explain more..

This first half term has been an incredibly busy start to the year, introducing new sections of the business that were not present last year. We have introduced a brand new management structure, which consists of a director (which I have the privilege of undertaking), a financial team, a social media team, a video editing team and finally a printing team.

This year we have also decided to construct a website and begin social media to help advertise our business. Our main product this year will be cotton shopping bags with the aim of reducing plastics that are polluting our oceans. A small percentage of profits from our bags will be given to charities that focus on the same cause as us to help further expand awareness. We are looking forward to an exciting year of great opportunities!

So there you have it! The business is now live and we are happy to show you the image of the first bags off the production line..

Have a good break all. We are looking forward to the half term to recharge the batteries but, more importantly, as soon we return our bag will be there for you all to purchase.

Congratulations to Jason G. who was awarded the ‘Worker of the Week’ at Manchester University for ‘working in a professional manner and to a very high standard, having excellent time keeping and getting fantastic feedback from his supervisor.’  Well done, Jason!

To end our half term, this morning we had our first ‘Medtia Gathering’ – a gathering of all our groups to share what we have been up to this half term. We had representatives from all of our pathways stand up and talk to all the students about the activities that they have taken part in this half term. From basketball competitions and theatre performances to setting up businesses and working at David Lloyd gym, the presentations really were inspirational! Our students work hard every day, they enjoy being at Medtia on our pathways and they have the upmost respect for their staff and for each other! I felt very proud of everyone this morning and can’t wait to see what next term brings!

Today is also a bit of a sad day for me as a member of staff is leaving us today who I have worked with for many years. Alison Heyes has been working at Bridging the Gap at The Royal Oldham Hospital for nearly 9 years and is moving on to pastures new. Alison has supported many, many students over the years into jobs both inside and outside of the hospital and I know she will be missed by the students, New Bridge staff and Royal Oldham Hospital staff. On behalf of New Bridge I would like to thank you Alison for all of your hard work. You have made such a huge difference to the lives of many of our young people and I’d like to wish you every success for the future.

Have a fantastic week off! I look forward to seeing you all back a week on Monday where the countdown to Christmas begins!!!

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

You can view our previous blog entries here

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