NQ DFN Project SEARCH - Industry Based Renfrewshire Council

Location: Employer's Premises
SCQF Level: 3
Start Date: 25 Aug 2025
Qualification Type: NQ
Course Type: Full-Time
Duration: 1 Year

Applications open 15th January 2025

Glasgow Clyde College works in partnership with Renfrewshire Council to deliver this DFN Project Search course. The course provides real-life work experience combined with training in employability skills to support young people with learning disabilities and autism spectrum conditions to make successful transitions to working life.

Students will be given the opportunity to gain new qualifications, fine-tune their CV, strengthen their interview skills and receive support to apply for and attend job interviews.

What will I learn?

You will develop your employability skills at Renfrewshire Council where you will develop essential skills in a classroom setting that will help you gain employment, in subjects such as:

Team building
Workplace safety
Technology
Maintaining employment
Self-advocacy
Financial literacy
Health and wellness
Preparing for employment.

You will also participate in three, 10-week work placements in a variety of job roles within Renfrewshire Council and local partners. Work placements may include catering, housekeeping, administration and environmental roles.

The experience and skills that you gain from both classroom (in-house and occasionally online) based activities and the work placements will improve your job marketability.

You will be supported throughout the course by a college lecturer, a job coach and council staff.

To ensure your learning is tailored to suit your own needs and employment goals, you will develop a Personal Learning and Support Plan which will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and help determine the type of job you are good at.

The course will run from August to June, five days a week, Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3.30pm.

You can apply for financial help in the form of a bursary.

How to apply

To apply for this course, please complete our application form and email it to projectsearchRENFREW@glasgowclyde.ac.uk

Please ensure that the form is saved as you complete it, to avoid losing any work, and that it is given a new file name.

Entry requirements (minimum)

You are between the ages of 17 and 29 years old
Have a Learning Disability or Autism
Have a Renfrewshire postcode
You can provide evidence of your ability to work at SCQF Level 3 (Access 3) in all subject areas
You are an independent traveller or have your own travel arrangements
You can demonstrate your ability to work independently and with others
You can provide evidence of excellent timekeeping and attendance
You can attend five days a week, Monday to Friday, 8.30am - 3.30pm, and be on time every morning
You can provide a satisfactory reference
You are willing to share personal information with all Project Search partners if required

Entry requirement equivalency table

If you do not meet the entry criteria for your chosen course, you may be offered an alternative course in the same subject area.

Employer and industry links

In the last eight years of working with Renfrewshire Council to deliver Project Search, 60% of students have gained employment with the Council and other local employers. 

Jobs and further study

Employment
Further college courses

I've applied — what happens next?

When you apply

You will receive an automated email confirming that we have received your application (remember to check your SPAM folder).

Your application will be reviewed by the admissions team and you will either be:

Invited to book an information / selection session. This session may include a core skills profile and group activity. Prior to the selection event, you will be asked to provide proof of qualifications and a completed Individual Support Form.  Selection events will take place between March and June.

Advised that your application is unsuccessful – you have not met the entry requirements for this course and are advised to contact the College Student Advice Centres to discuss alternative options which may be available to you.
We aim not to reject an application and if you don’t meet the entry requirements you may be referred to a different course or level.

If you are invited to interview, you will be informed of the outcome of your interview by email within 14 working days. The outcome will be one of the following:

Unconditional offer of a place – you have met all the entry requirements and your place is guaranteed. You will be required to accept this offer to secure your place.
Conditional offer of a place – your place is secured pending you meeting the entry requirements. This may mean achieving school or college qualifications which you may not be able to provide to us yet. You will be required to accept this offer to secure your conditional place. Once your conditions are met this will change to an unconditional offer of a place which you must accept before you can enrol on the course.
Waiting list – you have met all entry requirements, and have been interviewed however, the course is now full so you have been placed on a waiting list. If any spaces become available you may be contacted, usually around the course start date. We would advise that you also consider other application options.
Reserve list – following your interview, you have unfortunately not been successful in this round of recruitment. We have placed your name on a reserve list and your application may be reconsidered at a later date. This could happen any time up to the start date of the course but it is very possible that you will not be offered a place. We would advise that you also consider other application options.
Unsuccessful – your interview has been unsuccessful. You may be offered a place on a course at a different level, or advised to contact the College Student Advice Centres to discuss alternative options which may be available to you.

Once an offer is received, you must reply within 14 working days or risk losing your place, as the system will automatically decline your offer after 14 days.

Once you have accepted your offer, you will be sent out instructions about student funding, joining instructions and induction date. This will normally be sent out in June / July.