Success Stories

In the last few years Open Door Training has helped several hundred people to achieve more satisfying lives by either helping them to gain employment, or by providing them with vital support to stay in work. The work we do is intentionally highly personalized. These are some of the comments from clients supported in the last 2 years. All of them had been on long term health benefits before they decided to return to work. It was Open Door Training that not only supported them with their work endeavours but also arranged for them to attend accredited training courses that would aid their career developments. Support was also given to those who became self employed. They were able to take advantage of the business skills of the Director of Open Door, Kerry Dedman. She set up the company several years ago in order to provide training that was supportive and professional. The comments below certainly show this is the case.

Self Discovery Pre-employment programme

In April Open Door was asked to deliver their motivational self discovery pre employment programme in the heart of Portsmouth. The results were excellent with 50% finding work within a month of leaving the programme and everyone being motivated and confident enough to enrol on further accredited training that would help them with their own individual long term goals. This programme not only motivates but crucially provides the professional support that changes the lives of those taking part.

I attended a motivational course in April 2009 in Portsmouth.
In this time i have have such amazing support from Kerry and open door training in both my personal and career goals. I really enjoyed looking at transferable skills and updating c.v.'s
I placed my new c.v. online and within 5 minutes of posting i had a call requesting to speak with me.
To Kerry and David for the ongoing support patience understanding and time I wish to say thank you.
Rachel Hannon, Portsmouth

Pre employment training feedback from A4e Ltd

Open Door Training, run by Kerry Dedman, has facilitated 2, 3 day Discovery events specifically aimed at Lone parents and partners for me at Action for Employment

I found these three day events to be key in helping move forward my client base in terms of Confidence and ability and forward planning, the whole feed back from every single participant who attended was positive in the sense of the event was run with passion, professionalism and completely with the participant in mind from beginning to end

I would recommend Open Door Training to you as they have been an integral part of my success in reaching out to this client group and helping to move them forward into training and employment

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me

Warm regards,
Serge Wyett
Contracts Manager, West London
A4e Ltd

Feedback from executives attending the support programme

I wanted to thank you for the meeting yesterday. I admit it is strange as there were quite a few pretty despondent souls there but I came out feeling quite positive and uplifted. I think the combination of yourself and David's infectious spirit and the camaraderie of others understanding my situation and not just sympathising, is a boost to confidence. I have been lucky enough to have been a participant in an alleged similar program and I walked out feeling really depressed about my situation. It is nice that the guys are arranging a meet-up in a few weeks so it looks like there is a more solid supportive bond forming from your origins.
JP

A health and Safety consultant now controlling his health and his sanity!!

Go to an 'Open Door' meeting... said the job centre, I thought, you must be joking!
Cost me about eight quid in petrol and three hours of my normal relaxation time...
I went, I parked, I arrived, I listened and then I participated.
I came away with a different viewpoint. There were people from different walks of life exactly in the same predicament as me, fed up, disheartened, nearly at the end of their fight for a job and generally demoralised.
Open Door injected the drug of purpose into me. I heard what other delegates had done that I hadnít. I heard the crafty ways to get to jobs and how to eliminate the wasted time that I had expended on useless marketing. Here were some brain-boxes better and more qualified than me who were sharing their expertise with me on how to find and seek out opportunities.
Open Door had given me some extra tools to carve out the necessary niche and now has changed my life.
Open Door does what it says, it opens doors, but YOU need to turn the handle and hopefully change your view. Good luck

Just to say thank you for todayís Programme Centre workshop.
I, for one, found it very informative and useful.
Bill Gameson

Thanks for the help, honesty and thoughtfulness over the past few months - Much appreciated.
Dave Davies

Many thanks for an enjoyable networking day today. Not only was it professionally run and useful but it was also fun!
Helen Ricketts

Like most "executives" finding themselves out of work in the current climate, I thought that the Job Centre was only the place where I would be signing on every two weeks. I was pleasantly surprised then, when I received a personal call from the Job Centre, inviting me to take part in an executive network that they were setting up. The network was facilitated by Open Door Training. There were several benefits. Firstly, I was meeting like-minded individuals. Important not only for sanity, but also for the bouncing ideas around. We reviewed each others CVs and covering letters, traded tips on interviews and negotiations, and discussed thorny issues such as how to talk about periods out of work, seniority of roles, and public versus private sector recruitment. Secondly, these individuals were very well-connected. My network is my most important asset, and adding 15 high-calibre executives from a variety of backgrounds was a huge boost. Thirdly, Kerry Dedman of Open Door Training was excellent in making connections for us. We had 'guest speakers' from local development agencies and career management companies. Through her contacts, Kerry was also able to put us in touch with people who had 'unadvertised opportunities'.
HTH, Scott Heyhoe

I should like to thank you and Open Door Training Ltd for the very valuable and constructive sessions. In addition to the practical and informative element of the course, the supportive synergy from other course members and speakers provided an enormously positive boost to the job-search function and psyche.
Nick Butler

I attended one of the Executive Coaching sessions organised by Opendoor for JobCentrePlus, where I had a critique of my CV. After that one on one session, the response rate to my applications increased dramatically, and beyond my expectations.
Dave Davies

Hi Kerry,
Thank you for a wonderful inspirational day. Chatting to a few members of our group, we all agreed how valuable and stimulating we are finding this programme. It not only boosts our confidence but also inspires us to go out there and take on the market. Whilst it all sounds doom and gloom outside we believe that still have lots to offer the market and it is good to get that reassurance from you. The networking that we are doing is bound to stand us in good stead and I am sure that the programme will prove to be very successful and we are all learning from the experience.
Regards and thanks once again.
Graham

Letter from Kennedy Scott Training Ltd
Dear Kerry,

Portsmouth Programme Centre

It is clear both from the service we saw, but particularly from the extremely positive participant feedback, that you and your colleague made a very significant positive difference to the lives of the clients we were supporting, through going the ‘extra mile’ to find them employment or at least the next step for them.

In addition we have had positive feedback from our client, the DWP, regarding the excellent service provision at the end of a contract, when normally this ‘tails off’.

Our thanks for the assistance, and we look forward to working with you again in the future.

Yours sincerely,
Mark Lunn
Head of Business Development

Feedback from Programme centre Back to Employment
"I am writing this email to express my thanks for the team at Open Door Training in helping me gain employment. I had left my previous position in The Department for Work and Pensions in May 2005 as I had to move from the Bristol area to Fareham due to my grandfather being terminally ill. Since arriving in Fareham I have been unable to find work and have been frustrated countless times in my efforts.

I was placed on the New Deal scheme in May 2007 where I completed two weeks at the Careers Development Group course.

After being unsuccessful for a long time I was then referred (late March 2008) to Kennedy Scott just as Open Door Training took over. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight two individuals, Kerry Dedman and Jeannette Luczkowski, that I believe made a difference. Their experience, patience and determination enabled both myself and many of my colleagues to finally gain employment. By applying their expertise to my CV and providing clear and effective training techniques to be successful in interviews has enabled me to not only be granted a place at a Southampton employment agency but to gain subsequent work. I now am currently vetting mortgage applications at Abbey National on an ongoing temporary basis.

Open Door Training has given me the motivation to be effective at finding work, has allowed me to put my career back on track with clear goals in my working life and the confidence to follow them through. I'd like to wish the staff at Open Door much success in the future. I asked Kerry for the contact details of somebody who I can provide feedback of the Open Door programme and give them recognition for their hard work and efforts and I thank you for your time in reading this email." - Christopher E from Fareham

"I am writing this letter to state my appreciation for Ms Kerry Dedman of Open Door Training. During the time since she has taken over the running of the Portsmouth Program Centre, I have seen the way she and her staff, show real concern for the clients under her control.

I have, on occasion, needed to consult her on filling in application forms, and would like it to go on record that I have never been disappointed with the advice given. Today I have been given a mock interview with Kerry, and must say that the atmosphere was very realistic. A real interview has been arranged for Tuesday next week and so I was very grateful for the opportunity to test my interviewing abilities at this stage.

My thanks for your attention, and hope that I shall shortly be joining the list of successful clients to have passed through Kerry's tutelage." - SC

"Thanks again for the practice interview we did, I found it most useful... I am now expecting to hear the results of the interview and I am confident that I will be within the top 2 or 3 candidates." - SC

"I felt very comfortable speaking to the Open Door staff. Their help has got me what I've been looking for." - JL Portsmouth

Feedback from New Beginnings
"It has given me my life back with confidence and now I realised that I have reasons to be alive." - JB Eastleigh

"Open Doors is one of the best things to happen to me. Kerry is very supportive and very helpful, she sorted my training from start to finish.....Open Door takes time to help others, that's rare to find in a company these days. I was treated like a person not a number." - RN Gosport

"Open Door has been very kind and helpful.... has given me ideas and reassurance from the beginning. Support is down to earth and makes me feel at ease." - PJ Portsmouth

"was invaluable help to my return to work. I could not have done it without her." - SS Gosport

"I was able to ask Kerry for the additional information and support I needed. I have learnt about running and sustaining my business..... has gone out of her way to phone me with contact names and numbers for me to contact who will help me with my business.... provided the help I need now. Big thanks to Kerry." - CSP New Forest

"Kerry was great in setting up my business." - KS Portsmouth

These are just a random selection of the comments provided by clients supported by Open Door Training in the recently completed New Beginnings Post Employment Support contract.