--- title: Core Skills for Employability in Angus | 5-week course description: A five-week course for parents in Angus to build confidence, develop practical skills, and take positive steps towards employment. image: http://learnwithsda.scot/hubfs/PXL_20260602_113447467.TS-001.jpg --- [Go Back Up](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills/angus#top) [Skip to Content](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills/angus#body) [![Service Design Academy](http://learnwithsda.scot/hubfs/SDA_Logotype_Digital_Main_Mono_Black--Unspaced.svg "Service Design Academy")](https://learnwithsda.scot?hsLang=en) Toggle Menu - [Home](http://learnwithsda.scot) - Our courses Toggle children for Our courses Main Menu (Press to Return) \> Our courses - [Discover Service Design](http://learnwithsda.scot/discover) - [Introduction to Tools and Methods](http://learnwithsda.scot/intro) - [Practical Service Design](http://learnwithsda.scot/practical) - [Core Skills for Employability](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills) - [Our team](http://learnwithsda.scot#our-team) - [Work with us](http://learnwithsda.scot#work-with-us) - [Follow us on LinkedIn](http://linkedin.com/school/service-design-academy) ## Core Skills for Employability in Angus Fully funded course designed to support parents in Angus to build confidence, develop new skills, and take positive steps towards employment, training, or volunteering. - 5 weeks - Awareness level - Montrose [Back to course overview](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills?hsLang=en) ![A map of Angus showing (clockwise from the top) Clova, Auchronie, Glenesk, Edzell, Brechin, Montrose, Froickheim, Abroath, Carnoustie, Monifeith, Wellbank, Liff, Birkhill and Muirhead, Newtyle, Kirrimuir, Forfar, Letham, and Cortachy.](http://learnwithsda.scot/hubfs/CSE--Angus-Map.svg "A map of Angus showing (clockwise from the top) Clova, Auchronie, Glenesk, Edzell, Brechin, Montrose, Froickheim, Abroath, Carnoustie, Monifeith, Wellbank, Liff, Birkhill and Muirhead, Newtyle, Kirrimuir, Forfar, Letham, and Cortachy.") ### Supported by ![Scottish Government](http://learnwithsda.scot/hubfs/Scottish_Government_Logo.svg "Scottish Government") ![Angus\_Council\_logo](http://learnwithsda.scot/hubfs/Angus_Council_logo.svg "Angus_Council_logo") ![Montrose Community Trust](http://learnwithsda.scot/hs-fs/hubfs/MCT-Main-Logo.png?width=108&height=125&name=MCT-Main-Logo.png "Montrose Community Trust") ## On this page - [Overview](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills#overview) - [Course structure](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills#course-structure) - [Timetable](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills#timetable) - [Teaching and certification](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills#teaching-certification) - [Funding](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills#funding) - [Register your interest](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills#register) ## Overview A supportive first step towards employment - fully funded training for parents in Angus. This course focuses on confidence, communication, teamwork and problem-solving through practical, hands-on activities. You'll learn through a local employability design challenge, working together to explore everyday experiences and build skills that are directly relevant to work and life. ### Who is this course for? This course is designed for parents looking to build confidence, develop new skills, and take positive steps towards employment, training or volunteering. To join the course you must: - be aged 16-67; - live in Angus; - be a parent, carer, guardian, or kinship carer; and experiencing barriers to employment. Full eligibility criteria is detailed in [funding](http://learnwithsda.scot/skills/angus#eligibility). ### How will this course help you? We will help you to feel more confident about taking your next steps into employability support, training, or work - when you feel ready. We will help you to improve your communication, teamwork, practical problem solving and creative thinking skills. The course will give you the opportunity to try out and increase your confidence with speaking professionally and working with others. You'll leave with a certificate to help you show potential employers what you're capable of. ![An orange sticky note which says ](http://learnwithsda.scot/hs-fs/hubfs/1783357052036.jpeg?width=960&height=720&name=1783357052036.jpeg) Case Study ## Supporting Families, Shaping Services: Tammy's Story Earlier this year, Tammy began learning about service design while helping to build something entirely new. As a Key Worker within Dumfries and Galloway Council's Fairer Futures programme, Tammy and her colleagues weren't stepping into an existing service. [Read more on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/supporting-families-shaping-services-tammys-story-ta2te/) ## Course structure This course is structured to follow the design process known as [the Double Diamond](https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/our-resources/the-double-diamond/). You'll learn about understanding experiences, finding things out, solving problems, generating ideas, and communicating solutions. - Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4 - Week 5 Week 1 Week 1 ### Experiences matter You'll explore your own experiences and how these shape everyday decisions. Taking part in a local employability design challenge, you'll practise describing experiences clearly and begin building your confidence, communication and teamwork skills. ##### You will gain - An awareness of the impact your experiences have on your decision-making. - Understanding of what a "service" is, and the process used to design them. - Ability to describe service experiences. - Experience in gathering knowledge from multiple people and finding the patterns and connections. Week 2 Week 2 ### Listening, learning, and sharing You'll develop your active listening and communication skills by planning and carrying out simple conversations. These skills will support you with interviews, working with others, and communicating at work. ##### You will gain - Understanding of the relationship between numbers and information gathered from lived experience - Awareness of user research, including approaches, ethics, and informed consent - Experience in planning user research - Experience in planning and practicing conversations - Awareness of user research methods Week 3 Week 3 ### Research week You'll have a break week, allowing time for reflection and applying your learning through a simple, supported task. You'll be asked to to do a small research task (for about 30 minutes) to find out more information you can bring with you to week 4. ##### You will gain - Practical experience following a user research plan - Hands-on experience with a small selection of user research methods Week 4 Week 4 ### Making things better together You'll learn all about problem solving and working together with others. You'll chat about the things you've learned so far, identify patterns and work collaboratively to define problems and explore how you might solve them. ##### You will gain - Experience in analysis and synthesis of user research - Ability to define problems and develop opportunity statements Week 5 Week 5 ### Creating and sharing ideas You'll generate ideas, develop simple solutions, and practise presenting them clearly. You'll get the chance to build your confidence, creativity, and adaptability. ##### You will gain - Awareness and experience of rapid idea generation tools - Ability to filter and prioritise ideas - Experience in service prototyping - Experience of communicating service ideas - Providing critical feedback ## Timetable This course takes place on Thursday mornings in November and December 2026. Thursday mornings #### Runs 5 November until 10 December #### Session 1 - Thursday 5 November 2026 - 09:30 - 13:00 - 3.5 hours with two 15-minute breaks #### Session 2 - Thursday 12 November 2026 - 09:30 - 13:00 - 3.5 hours with two 15-minute breaks #### Session 3 - Thursday 19 November 2026 - 09:30 - 13:00 - 3.5 hours with two 15-minute breaks #### Session 4 - Thursday 26 November 2026 - 09:30 - 13:00 - 3.5 hours with two 15-minute breaks #### Session 5 - Thursday 10 December 2026 - 09:30 - 13:00 - 3.5 hours with two 15-minute breaks ## Teaching and certification This is an interactive course delivered by service design experts who are highly experienced in training with a learn-by-doing approach. This course is taught in English. There are no exams or formal assessment. ![Service Design Network](http://learnwithsda.scot/hs-fs/hubfs/SDN.png?width=105&height=150&name=SDN.png) ### Service Design Network accredited We are accredited by SDN which means our courses meet a globally recognised standard. [Learn more about accreditation](https://service-design-network.org/accreditation) ### Equipment Our in-person training involves speaker presentations, group conversations, and activities involving Sharpies, sticky notes, and paper. We will provide everything you need on the day. ### Location This training will be delivered at [Montrose Community Trust](https://montrosect.org.uk/): - [Navigate with Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/oBx451qKmv86caZJ6) - [Plan your journey with Traveline Scotland](https://www.traveline.info/directions?destination%5Bname%5D=Links+Park&destination%5Blocation%5D%5Blat%5D=56.713858&destination%5Blocation%5D%5Blon%5D=-2.459151) - [///gazes.humid.meanwhile](https://w3w.co/gazes.humid.meanwhile) Tea, coffee, and refreshments will be provided during break times. ## Funding ### Fully funded for parents in Angus This programme is fully funded through the Angus Parental Employability Challenge Fund. The fund supports innovative, flexible, and locally tailored approaches that support parents to engage with existing employability provision and progress towards sustainable employment outcomes. [![Angus Council](http://learnwithsda.scot/hubfs/Angus_Council_logo.svg "Angus Council")](https://www.angus.gov.uk/) ### Who can take part This course is designed for parents looking to build confidence, develop new skills, and take positive steps towards employment, training or volunteering. To be eligible you must: - Live in Angus - Be aged 16–67 - Be experiencing barriers to employment - Be a parent, carer, guardian or kinship carer - Be unemployed, economically inactive, or in low-income work - Be at risk of long-term unemployment #### Further information If you are already in work You can take part whether you are currently working or not, if you think the additional support would help you move towards more sustainable employment. Participation is typically supported through local services and may form part of a wider package of employability support. If you are a parent, guardian, or kinship carer We are particularly keen to support a wide range of parents and family circumstances, including those who may benefit most from flexible, tailored employability support. This includes: - Lone parent families - Minority ethnic families - Families with a disabled person - Families with three or more children - Families with children under the age of 1 - Families with mothers aged 25 or under This course can also support you if you are a grandparent, guardian, or kinship carer looking after children where similar circumstances apply. If you are already receiving employability support This course is designed to work alongside your existing support, including key worker and employability services. This course can support you at different stages of your journey by building confidence, skills and readiness to progress. If you need support to take part We know that jumping back into learning can feel like a barrier in itself for some people. If you need help with accessing employability support, [Montrose Community Trust](https://montrosect.org.uk/) can help. ## Register your interest ### For parents If you are a parent and would like to take part, you can register your interest below. A member of the team or a local support partner will be in touch to discuss next steps. [Register interest](https://share-eu1.hsforms.com/2GyLp6ZG1SKKjOG0jPBkBgA2fa010) ### For partners and referrers If you support parents and would like to refer individuals or find out more about the programme, we would love to hear from you. [Get in touch](https://2fa010.share-eu1.hsforms.com/2xBM66i7lQsyIvZvVbXucJQ) © Service Design Academy Limited. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](http://learnwithsda.scot/privacy-policy?hsLang=en)