D&A Takes up Residence at ‘Place of Possibility’

As part of its mission to remove barriers to employment and entrepreneurship, Women’s Business Station has unveiled its new home within a previously vacant retail unit in the city’s Wellgate.

The 2,000 sq ft space on the first floor incorporates a number of spaces including a Learning zone which will accommodate all workshops and training programmes, including the ‘Aspiring Women’ programme and courses offered by Empowerment Partner, Dundee and Angus College.

By teaming up with Women’s Business Station, Dundee and Angus College will deliver training and qualifications through a number of six to eight-week academies covering everything from hospitality and digital to manufacturing and engineering. As well as gaining accredited qualifications, the women will gain exposure to local businesses generating a range of opportunities from interviews and placements to employment.

The suite of courses, aimed at increasing employability and entrepreneurship amongst women across the region, will kickstart in August 2022 with an English as a Second Language (ESOL) course. Around 15 women from diverse social and cultural backgrounds, part of Women’s Business Station’s ‘Aspiring Women’ programme, will participate. The first two in a series of academies will launch soon after, focusing on digital and hospitality, and open to the wider Women’s Business Station community.

Attending yesterday’s opening event at Wellgate, Caryn Gibson, Business Partnerships Manager and a Director of Women’s Business Station, added, “We are extremely proud and excited to be working with Women’s Business Station within their new city centre hub.

“With high levels of unemployment throughout the region, women are bearing the brunt but better times are on the horizon. Every day, there are women of all ages and backgrounds walking through Wellgate who are looking to take that next step. Perhaps they’re not sure what that next step is and they need someone to talk them through the options. By working directly with these women and simplifying the options for them, we can prepare them for employment, self-employment or further study through the delivery of key skills and qualifications. While supporting them as they take the next step, we will not just create tangible change for the individuals but help shape a high-calibre, robust workforce to fill the skills gaps and invigorate our economy.”

In addition to the Learning zone, the Showcase zone will allow women to promote their products or services, with extra space to conduct market research with shoppers.

As well as housing a co-working space where members can work and interact with other members, an additional area has also been created for local organisations to rent. The Discovery zone will provide a space for employers to engage with local women, including for recruitment or networking purposes.

Angie De Vos, CEO of Women’s Station, believes that the new unit will allow the organisation to support even more women – “Having a presence in Wellgate is a real game-changer for us and will be a place of possibility for so many local women. We want to welcome these women, provide a safe space to talk through their ideas, gain support, make connections and make things happen. The unit also gives us the perfect, flexible space for everything from training programmes and networking events to a place women can pop in and do a bit of work, meet other women and feel part of something bigger.”