“Striving toward a fresh start in Employment”

We’re excited as a company to be part of the Let’s Work Programme here in our home town of Carrickfergus.  The programme is funded by the Northern Ireland Executive’s Social Investment Fund (SIF) under the Delivering Social Change framework.  Carrickfergus Enterprise have Partnered with Network Personnel to deliver this programme in our town and we are proud to be a participating company.

The Let’s Work training programme seeks to widen access to job opportunities and create meaningful pathways to employment. Goals include reducing the number of unemployed people in the Social Investment Fund Northern Zone, improving skill levels of long term unemployed and increasing personal confidence.

Stephen Kinkaid Managing Director of Big Wet Fish Hosting said:

“We’ve been a part of this programme for 9 months now and are onto our second cohort of Trainees. We’re pleased to report that after our first Cohort finished their training we have kept them on and they have now joined our support team.  We’ve now started our second cohort of trainees. The programme allows us as an employer to gain staff free of cost for 5 months (with the programme fully paying the Trainees full minimum wage full time for 5 months) with a generous training budget thrown into the mix.  Staff have been trained in Health and Safety, First Aid as well as an accredited course at Belfast Metropolitan College in Network Security Fundamentals.  They also will be studying towards the cPanel University Qualification.  The extensive training budget as well as the 5 months full time fully paid employment gives these staff such an advantage over others when it comes to seeking employment in this sector”

Steven B and Jackie W from the Let’s Work Programme start working at BWF

David McIlhagger, Vice Chair of Carrickfergus Enterprise, said:

“This significant investment and support for those who are unemployed is really encouraging. Our ethos at Carrickfergus Enterprise is to create jobs and we have already seen great success in terms of placing participants with key employers as well as developing participant skills and knowledge.

Let’s Work encourages participants to strive toward a fresh start in employment as well as supporting businesses in gaining a skilled and knowledgeable work force. Through working closely with the project partners, we are seeing real change not only in attitudes but in lowering unemployment in lower socio-economic areas across Northern Ireland.

Carrickfergus Enterprise has been responsible for a breadth of employability and business successes across the province. This large-scale project can make positive changes to people’s lives and can go some way towards addressing some of the key barriers to employment and create positive news for the area.”

If you host with us and come on live chat or the helpdesk for support and if Steven B or Jackie W are helping you out make sure you say hello to them and welcome them to the BWF Family.  They both have been working hard on their induction these past couple of weeks and have now been given direct access to clients (under close supervision of their mentors at all times).