Welcome back to all of our students this week, I trust that you all had a great half term break. We have had a fantastic week here at Medtia and we have lots to update you on.

On Wednesday I met with Councillor Sean Fielding, the leader of Oldham Council. Sean was visiting First Choice Homes to look at how they support local people into employment. This links in nicely to what we do here at Medtia and also with our fantastic work over at The Atrium Café. Councillor Fielding was really impressed by our students and by the opportunities that we offer. I’d like to say a special well done to Josie and Colette who spoke eloquently and professionally about their experiences on work placement at The Atrium..

Now for some updates from our groups, starting with our job coach, Genna..

Our first week back at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and all three Bridging the Gap students have picked up where they left off before the holidays!

Lewis has been looking after the Social Media for The Opportunities Department in the Student Union and has been a great help to the team. He will be moving on to a new placement next week which you will all find out about during our next ‘Day in the Life!’

Jason is working hard delivering the mail around MMU and, like Santa, he is coming up to his busiest time of the year with all the international students writing home for Christmas.

Reece is working hard over at Birley (which is off campus) and is working independently helping the facilities team keep the building up and running for the 5,000 students they have each week!

5 weeks now of hard work until they break up for Christmas, when they will be ready for a break I’m sure!

Now over to our job coach, Tisha for this week’s ‘Day in the Life’ feature..

A day in the life of Dylan at..

I arrive at 10:15am in plenty of time to start my 4 hour shift at 10:30am. I say good morning to the staff in reception who let me in and I put my belongings away in the staff room.

Then I go to front and back of house at the Delicious restaurant to see if they need my help, as it can be a very busy restaurant! I like helping out with the pot washing and serving customers their meals as it is improving my communication and customer service skills..

Once I know they are fine in the Food and Beverage department, I then go to the cleaning cupboard to get some spray and cloths to wipe down all the equipment being used in the gym..

I also wipe down and put the weights away, ready for the next customers to use..

In the afternoons I have started learning Personal Training with Helen, she is helping me to start a Personal Training journey. Today I have learnt that communicating and listening to your client is very important. By asking questions such as ‘Is the weight ok for you? Do you feel comfortable?’ I can make sure I’m looking after the client, their health and wellbeing.

Helen showed me how to use the health/body scan machine which measures your Body Mass index and tells you how many calories you should eat to maintain a healthy weight..

She then showed me the Personal Trainers’ office, first aid procedures and key words for emergencies..

I also did some role play with Helen, starting by teaching her how to use the battling-ropes which help to strengthen your arms. Helen asked ‘What am I doing wrong? Am I standing correctly?’ and I had to demonstrate and show Helen the correct way to use the battling-ropes as because she was standing incorrectly, she was finding the battle rope exercise difficult..

Battling-Rope Waves

This is the classic battling-rope exercise. It works each arm independently and keeps your muscles under tension for extended periods.

I am glad that I am finally getting a chance to personal train. I tried it last week and I enjoyed it. I showed Helen some of my workout routine and showed her some techniques and I even learned a few things myself about specific types of workouts for beginners and regulars. I learned different workouts for people trying to lose weight, bulk up, improve health etc.

You will have had a number of letters home this week. We have lots of events coming up including our non-uniform day for Children in Need next Friday 16th. We are asking students to bring in a £1 donation and they can dress in their own clothes, in spots or Pudsey related wear!

Next Wednesday we have our open evening for Future Finders at 5pm at Medtia. This is for Year 14 students and their families who may be interested in joining Future Finders next year.

Finally, we have sent home a letter regarding our brand new Employer Parent Network (click here to view it). We would like families to support us in finding work placements and employer encounter opportunities for our students. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Maria Statham, our work placement co-ordinator here at New Bridge.

There are some last minute tickets now available for our trip to the Opera House on 18th December to see Cinderella if you are quick! Our staff will be there to support our young people and you can find out more by calling Isabella on 0161 883 2401.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Daniel
Head of Key Stage 5 Pathways & Head of Future Finders Employability College

You can view our previous blog entries here

Click here for this week’s news from Graham