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People who suffer from long-term health problems or disabilities often have a difficult time finding jobs that can be adapted to suit their everyday needs. Thankfully, the Scottish company DNDP have been working towards changing this, and making courier work more flexible and accessible for disabled drivers. What They Do DNDP have been building their company for over two years, and since then have helped more than 50 people move into either employment or self-employment. By giving their drivers flexible shifts, this has meant that employees can balance their courier work with the time that they need to take care of themselves. Many workplaces do not offer this flexibility with the job, so DNDP has been a real game-changer for many ill or disabled workers. The company also offers work experience placements for the local college students, providing them with the vital and necessary skills to move forward into adult life. It also prepares them for potential future work in other commercial environments, which is extremely valuable when these more flexible jobs are so limited. Being familiar with this adult work is a massively useful skill. Funding Originally, drivers at DNDP were having to use their own personal cars, which as well as being inconvenient, limited the driver to single deliveries. In order to take on corporate courier work, the company needed to invest in some vans which would allow them to complete multi-drop jobs. Their first idea was to purchase some electric vans, however, it soon became clear that these were not going to be as profitable as DNDP would have liked. The battery life of electric vans would not be suitable for their work because in winter months, they would only be able to travel a third of the distance they travelled in summer before having to recharge. With the help of Resilient Scotland, who offered them a part-loan, part-grant, the company was able to buy two new vans. This eventually enabled them to secure two housing association contracts, with others in the pipeline for the future. A Huge Success This ever-growing company has so far been relatively successful in helping its local disabled population, and hope that with more funding this success can continue to grow. Workers have been able to improve their confidence through training, meaning that new opportunities are becoming more and more open to them. Eventually, this could help them move towards other jobs besides courier work, such as an administrative role. With further funding, hopefully DNDP will continue to expand and offer more placements and job prospects to those who have difficulty finding employment. It is encouraging to know that businesses in the courier industry are beginning to understand and accept the health needs of their workers. Author Plate Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.
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