Industry Challenge with Paraquad industries

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Paraquad industries

Paraquad Industries are a disability employment service employing 120 people. They provide a variety of services at the heart of which is donations! Most of their revenue from book sales from the donated books, approximately $55000 per year.

The challenge

Book donations exceed the number of books sold. Books are waiting to be sorted, some books are being sorted currently and some are waiting to be sold. The number of books currently in storage is circa 300,000. Space is an issue and disposal of the books which can’t be sold can be expensive and ends up in general waste due to the binding. As they are, these books cannot be recycled.

The Project:

The project involves working with the team at Paraquad industries and Venture to identify strategies and tactics to effectively create a low-cost solution for the disposal and/or reuse of some 300,000 books. A key understanding is the parameters within which ParaQuad industries work which means that a thorough assessment of the viability, feasibility and desirability of solutions is required. For consideration is the fact that Paraquad are seeking to provide more employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

• How might create a low-cost solution which gives these books another life?
• How might we create a solution which can be completed by a person with disabilities?
• Will the solution meet long term needs regarding incoming donations exceeding the number of books sold?
• Can the solution be turned into a revenue generation solution for book disposal for other services?

What is required:

• · This project would ideally suit students from all disciplines who are keen to gain some real-world innovation and problem-solving experience.
• · 1/2 day (approx. 5 hours of your time) to go into Paraquad Industries and get an understanding of the challenges and opportunities before returning to Venture to ideate solutions to our challenges. (lunch provided)
• · Pitching of solutions back to Paraquad Industries (approx. 2 hours)

Timeline and structure:

• Friday 15th July - Recruitment commences
• Monday 29th July - Recruitment closes and participants contacted
• Tuesday 6th August – Site visit and ideation session
• Wednesday 7th August – Monday 12thAugust– Viability checking and research for best solution. 
• Monday 12th – All presentations submitted.
• Tuesday 13th August - Present solutions to Paraquad (pitch night)

Skills that the students will develop:

· Strategic Planning

· Problem identification

· Critical Thinking

· Design thinking

· Market Research

· Communication

Students who complete the project will get:

1. resume support to articulate the project and

2. a certificate of appreciation

3. Hours towards the completion of the careers and employability award.