2 April 2001

NEW DEAL HELPING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES INTO JOBS

"New Deal is set to offer even more people with disabilities the chance to take up training opportunities and jobs across business and industry in Northern Ireland," the Minister of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment, Dr Sean Farren, said today.

Announcing that the New Deal for Disabled People programme is being extended to cover the whole of Northern Ireland from today, Dr Farren said the initiative was an important milestone towards assisting people with disabilities to achieve their ambitions.

He said: "This extension to the New Deal for Disabled People programme aims to help people on incapacity benefits to move out of economic inactivity and into lasting employment.

"The programme, which was initially launched across 12 pilot areas, has been successful in making employers more aware of the benefits of employing people with disabilities, many realising a previously untapped pool of talent. The full rollout of this initiative will be a key factor in the progress towards employment for disabled people.

"The support of local employers is also essential. We are working closely with community and business organisations to ensure that participants will be equipped to move into work. The New Deal for Disabled People programme will include access to a Personal Adviser service; a network of training providers; and a focus on outcomes that will lead to lasting paid employment," the Minister added.

Rodney Livingstone from Ballymena is the first participant to benefit from the extension to the programme.

The 32-year-old father of two, who severely injured his back two years ago, today signed up to the initiative. He hopes that the new service will offer him job opportunities.

He said: "I’ve already received training through the Cedar Foundation in IT and business administration skills and recently secured a work placement as an IT technician with a local school.

"Now, with the support of my Personal Adviser, Elaine Topping, I plan to seek permanent employment opportunities in the IT sector within the Ballymena area. I am confident that the partnership between my Personal Adviser and the locally based training partner, the Cedar Foundation, will lead to a new career path for me."

Kieran Molloy, Training Services Manager at the Cedar Foundation, is also enthusiastic about the training opportunities for people across Northern Ireland.

He added: "We have been involved with New Deal for Disabled People for the past two years during the pilot phase and have helped a significant number of participants into employment. We look forward to continued success as the programme is rolled out across Northern Ireland."

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The New Deal programme, was initially launched as a pilot, across 12 regional areas in 1999. The overall funding for the programme was set at £9M.

The programme was developed after research indicated that:

Disabled people are seven times as likely as non-disabled people to be out of work and claiming benefits.

A large percentage of disabled people would welcome the opportunity to gain greater economic independence through employment based initiatives.

For further information please contact Simon Burrowes on 028 9025 7831 or 07799 711524.